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Tag Archives: death
Be Ready
1 A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth; 2 Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 7:1-6
The author’s attention now turns to the need for wisdom in a futile world. Having firmly established His case for the vanity of life, Solomon now seeks to apply wisdom to the madness so that he might live as he should. Chapter 7 provides wisdom for the day. Let’s see it in total over these next few weeks.
We are reminded in this passage of the eventuality of death. Every person will face death (if Christ doesn’t return in the rapture of the church). The rich and the poor will die. The wise and the fool are headed to the same fate. Solomon mentions death, mourning, sorrow, and sadness in the first 4 verses to drive home this point.
Given the shortness of life, it is imperative that we pursue wisdom. A life lived wisely is far better than a life lived in foolish pursuits. Life is a one-time gift. Use it wisely realizing we will all stand before God in judgment.
Tony French
Filed under Ecclesiastes
Appointed Times
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. 9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
God is in control. This is a comforting thought for the Christian. It reminds us that our lives are not spinning around in an out-of-control manner. Chance and happenstance play no part in our circumstances. Rather, our circumstances are divinely controlled by God Himself. Even when it doesn’t appear to be the case, God is still in control.
Solomon confronts this fact as he observed the rhythm and flow of life. May we see the nature of God’s control as we study this lesson this week.
Chapter 3 comprises one of the most famous passages of scripture in the Old Testament. Everything has an appointed to a time. The good and the bad, the joyful and the sorrowful are appointed to this life. Perhaps the following breakdown can make the point clearer.
Appointed Times for………………………..
Birth and Death
Planting and Destruction
Killing and Healing
Tearing Down and Building Up
Crying and Laughing
Mourning and Dancing
Cast Stones and Gather Stones
Embrace and Refrain
Gaining and Losing
Keeping and Discarding
Tearing and Sowing
Silence and Speaking
Love and Hate
War and Peace
Wow! What an incredible list. And God controls it all. He sovereignly reigns through our ups and downs, our victories and defeats, and our success and failures. God is in control of it all.
We may be thinking “if God is in control, then why is my life so difficult?” Shouldn’t my life be easier if God controls all things? There is no easy answer for these questions. God never promises ease and comfort on this earth (John 14:27). We live in a sinful world that will create circumstances that hurt us and cause us pain. We can’t understand it all. Yet, when can be comforted knowing that God is provident, in charge, and that He will never leave us.
God has given us an eternal perspective. We instinctively know that God exists and we are accountable to Him. We should be thankful that God has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ. For through Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice we have eternal life.
Tony French
Filed under Ecclesiastes
Helping
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
James 5:19-20
The Book of James ends with a simple and timely reminder for the church. Christians should be willing to help other Christians who are falling into sin. This task is not easy and simple, but, it is an important part of fellowship within the Body of Christ.
Every Believer has a tendency to stray from the truth. When that takes place, other Believers ought to stand in the gap and help turn that brother or sister from the error and back to the Word of God. Doing this will save the Christian from a multitude of bad choices, sleepless nights, and awful consequences.
Let us realize that when we confront others a great deal of humility is needed. We are all just and at the same time we are all sinners. Every Child of God is vulnerable to the attacks of the evil one. Every attempt to help a wayward Believer ought to be done out of love and kindness. This task is can be complex and arduous. But, it is worth the cost.
Tony French
Filed under James
Beware
5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
James 3:5-6
The principle described here is simple yet profound. The precept taught here is this—small things can cause great damage. The veracity of this statement is unquestionable. And it is never truer than in the case of the tongue.
The human tongue, though one of the smallest parts of the body, can speak words that dishearten, destroy, and kill the spirit and vitality of others. Many a marriage, friendship, and relationship has been “set on fire” by damaging words. And destructive words have ended up decimating hearts and lives since Genesis 3.
Christians ought to mark their words carefully. Our conversation can bring life and help to others, but, it can also cause irreparable harm to those even that we love. Let us speak words of life and hope. May our talk be seasoned with grace and filled with love.
Tony French
Filed under Uncategorized
Process
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
James 1:14-15
In this section of Chapter 1, James get to the heart of the sin playbook. If we can learn how this process works, we can learn to recognize and defeat it. Let’s examine the process of sin for a moment.
Desire—All sin begins with desire. Not all desires are evil. Often, wholesome and good desires can be perverted to lead us into sin. Desire is not sin, but, desire can be used to begin the temptation process in our lives.
Deception—Once desire is established in our minds, temptation moves to deception. When we are deceived, we have a tendency to get a skewed outlook on life. Our desires lead to us to believe the wrong things about God, about the Bible, and about ourselves. We begin to believe that we know better than God and that we can ignore the Bible. Deception is dangerous and deadly.
Disobedience—The next step is outright disobedience to God’s Word and commands. Sin leads us away from God and towards ourselves. Sin allows us to become our own god! What a terrible sequence this process of sin reveals.
Death—The final stop for the sin process is death. All sin leads ultimately to death. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, it lead to death. They lived for many years after their sin. Yet, eventually, inevitably, they died. Sin leads to death and destruction. (Romans 6:23)
How do we overcome sin and temptation? Realize that God’s Word and God’s ways are best. When desires well up within you, remember what God’s Word tells us. Remember His commands and avoid deception in your life. Recall that God gives us commands and boundaries to protect us and help us to live Godly, peaceful lives.
And then fight it! We are not helpless in this matter. God’s Spirit lives within us (1 Corinthians 6) and He helps us overcome. Trust God to help you endure the temptation and overcome by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Tony French
Filed under Uncategorized
The Mind of Christ
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that Christians have been given the “mind of Christ.” He takes that principle further by instructing Believers to live in that reality in Philippians 2. “Let this mind be in you” is the command given to God’s people. Let us examine three precepts about Jesus life that He demonstrated for us. And may we pursue the mind of Jesus in our own lives as well.
First, Jesus was willing to serve. Christ served by teaching, healing, and loving the outcasts. Then, He took upon Himself the posture of a servant and completed His earthly ministry dying as a common criminal for the sin of humanity. He served the people of the world by giving up His life for them. Greater love cannot be shown. (John 15:13)
The Savior also humbled Himself. Christ left behind the glory that is rightfully His as the Son of God and took upon Himself human flesh. He humbled Himself and condescended to this planet so that those who believe might be saved. He lived for our righteousness so that we might be made righteous through His life. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Finally, the Son of God fulfilled the will of His Father. Even though Jesus is co-equal with the Father, nevertheless, He was obedient unto death for our salvation. Jesus is our example of obedience and we ought to follow that trajectory in our lives as well.
One day the entire world will acknowledge Jesus as Lord. There is coming time in which every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess the lordship of Christ. Christian, let us acknowledge the glory and lordship of the Savior every single day. It is the least that we can do.
Tony French
Filed under Uncategorized
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