Ecclesiastes: Chapter 8:

Chapter 8: Keep the King's Command: 

Shenandoah National Park | Virginia 

We continue to develop the world and try to numb all the pain, boredom, and give ourselves all the best opportunities to be happy - yet, we are never satisfied and we always want more. Even the things we invent are tainted by our greedy and corrupt hearts. Example: We in America are vaccinated at birth for diseases that thousands of children throughout the world die of every day. Why? Greed. If these companies were to administer those vaccinations to these third-world countries they wouldn't make the profits they desire. Thus, they do nothing. So how do we live in this corrupt world after Christ has saved us? (First, we need to acknowledge that we are no different than anyone else, we are all born into sin and without Christ we are identical, it is Him within us, not us.) We must guard our hearts and only submit to those we believe in and trust. Friends, spouse, career, etc. we need to pay attention to who we are allowing to influence ourselves. We are bent and broken, easily torn away from God. We need to put a lot of time and energy into ensuring we don't hitch our wagon to someone who will lead us away from God. (While also ensuring that we spread the Gospel to those who don't know the Lord.) We must engage in a lot of introspection and prayer to discover who we are in Christ and know what His plan is for us. We must know what the truth of the Word is and follow it as best we can. We need to build a foundation of Christ into our hearts, minds, and souls. This way, when something comes up in life, we have already sought out God's plan for our life and we can follow His path and not our own that we make-up on the spot. Even when we are being careful and doing everything correctly, we can easily be ensnared into evil things. 

Those Who Fear God Will Do Well:

Wicked men will sometimes outlive those who love the Lord and follow Him, we cannot explain it when we try to figure out why it happens this way. However, we can understand and know that God's plan is always better than ours in every way. He isn't surprised when something happens and He does not get anxious for our future, He is there. He is all-knowing, if we acknowledge this fact then we must admit that God will always know what is best for us. And if we believe what we say: | "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 | then we should realize that His plan is always best because He wants what is best for us, He will work all things together for our good, whether it is in Heaven or on earth when He draws us towards Him. Sometimes, punishment for our sins is not enacted upon us here on earth, it is done in death (this would be an example of someone who does not fear the Lord and refuses to give their life over to Christ). Eternal damnation is God separating Himself from non-believers. This is the ultimate punishment for sin. We should, as strange as this sounds, seek God's punishment for our sins on earth. Plead that He will allow us to be broken down in order to draw us to Him. We need Him by whatever means. It doesn't matter how horrific something is to you if it brings you to Christ. Obviously, we don't want terrible things to happen to us, but if they do, they might be a blessing from God. Pride runs our lives more than we will ever care to admit and the sense of being in control of everything is damning to our souls.

Man Cannot Know God's Ways:

The concept of the prosperity Gospel is one of the furthest things from scripture and all it does is hurt those who inhale the poisonous fumes that are passed through the silver tongues of 30+-year-old boys preaching this nonsense. Yes, I am very harsh towards it and I realize that may make some question who I think I am to say such things. But, it is something that truly damages everyone in an eternal way, this cannot be taken lightly. Yes, I believe God uses everyone (including myself, chief of sinners) in one way or another, but preaching a false Gospel is terrible in every way. It is blasphemy and needs to be seen for what it is. How do we do this? We go to the Bible. If we ever have questions of what Christianity should look like or how a preacher should be preaching, we need to go to the Bible.

Solomon breaks the idea of karma in verses 14 & 15 by showing that those who do evil can receive benefits and those that are holy can receive a terrible life that should be received by the evil one. There is no such thing as good karma or bad karma. However, if you make good choices, the odds that you will reap benefits from those choices are accurate. Example: If I go to college and earn a degree in Astrophysics, I will have a much better chance of getting a job at NASA as an Astrophysicist than a person who flunks out of College because they chose to get drunk and party instead of studying. This isn't karma, they are life choices leading to something that was earned through hard work and perseverance (and in the end, all things are gifts from God.) 

Dear Lord, I pray that you will give me a heart of compassion and grace for everyone; including pastors who preach false gospels. I struggle with judging others and I can have a heart of stone towards others. Please work in me and show me how to enact wisdom in a world filled with pain and a heart that is broken. Amen. 

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