Enjoy the Advantages of Today

Transcript

GR 2137
10/27/2019
Enjoy the Advantages of Today
Ecclesiastes 11:1-10
Gil Rugh


We're in the book of Ecclesiastes together, in Ecclesiastes 11. What happens in Ecclesiastes is Solomon moves toward the end of his discourse on wisdom in this fallen world. He brings in some of the proverbs that he is so noted for, and found written in the book of Proverbs, as we have noted. Scripture tells us he wrote over 3,000 proverbs, so he was used of the Lord to impart the wisdom that God had given him in matters relating to life. The book of Proverbs is written for God's people. So even though we don't get into details on matters like the worship system, salvation, and so on, that is the background and the foundation for what he is saying because he is the king of Israel. And as the New Testament tells us, the oracles of God, the Word of God were given to the nation Israel. He is writing this to people who have the Word of God, who have clarity on worshiping the God of Israel and so on. So, we don't want to lose sight of that, and we have referred to it when we talk about the fact that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. To have true wisdom in navigating the days of our lives, we must have a familiarity with the Word of God and a commitment to implement that Word in our lives.

In Ecclesiastes 10, Solomon just overviewed some matters relating to wisdom and a reminder. The 9th chapter ended with a statement, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” Ecclesiastes 9:18. And that balance is what goes through the book of Ecclesiastes. Wisdom is always essential and necessary, but it is not always victorious on this earth. It does not always guarantee success, just because we have wisdom from God and walk accordingly. And wisdom is much more precious. So, we come into Ecclesiastes 10 and he said, “Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.”

We live in a fallen world, populated by sinful people under the domination of the devil himself. God's wisdom is always strongly opposed and sometimes it is victorious on this world's level because it is the purpose of God to allow that to happen. In other words, sometimes God's people are defeated. Again, we're talking about life on this earth and how it appears. Many have been martyred. Sometimes the truth of God is successfully stifled and prevented from being proclaimed. So, you have “…one sinner destroys much good…” and “…foolishness is weightier than wisdom…” And it's just like little flies could destroy something as valuable and took as much effort to produce as the perfume. And yet little flies can ruin it. So that's the point, that balance we keep in the world. Wisdom is always necessary and essential, but wisdom does not always win the day, as we might express it.

He talked about how we are going in opposite directions. The fool who is the person who does not know God, who has not come to trust in the living God and receive the salvation He has provided, and the one who has. We are just going left and right, opposite directions. And we have a different perspective on life. And everything the fool does demonstrates that he is a fool. We shouldn't be surprised at that. Verse 3 said, “…he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.” And we are going to be brought into situations where those who rule over us will be opposed to us, and say things about us that are not true, and say things to us that are difficult to hear. But we should maintain our composure. We talked about that.

There is an inequality in the world that he went on in verses 5-7 to talk about. There are inequities, injustice in every area of life, and sometimes it is not the most capable who are in positions of power. Sometimes things are just turned upside down. We look and we say, what has happened? How did they get into that position? And so on. It is just what happens in a fallen world when it is part of God's judgment. Wisdom is recognizing those things and being prepared to maneuver. And that's what verses 8-11 talked about. Use your wisdom to avoid certain things that can be avoided. We can't control the future but applying wisdom will enable us to avoid some of the problems and disasters that come in this life. We live in a sinful world, we live in a world that is out of our control. It is under God's control, but we don't control it. But in wisdom we can make decisions that keep us out of trouble, so to speak. And that is what he is talking about.

Verse 12, “Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious…” as he moves to talk about the contrast between the fool and wise man, even in their speech. “…while the lips of a fool consume him; the beginning of his talking is folly and the end of it is wicked madness.” So, it only goes from bad to worse, and the more the fools, those who do not have God's wisdom, who do not approach life from the perspective that He gives, they just go on in their craziness. They don't stop talking and their talking is self-destructive, as well as harmful for all that come in contact with them. But “…the end of it is wicked madness.” You'll note, there is nothing in Ecclesiastes that tells us to fix the situation. It tells us how to conduct ourselves in this corrupted world that is called mad, insane, that is not rational in what it does, as we saw as we worked through this section.

Verses 16-21 say it is a blessing when you can get a wise ruler. Solomon was a wise ruler. And when you get a fool for a ruler, you can destroy the nation, as Solomon's son Rehoboam did. He was not a wise son and he destroyed the nation. The unity of the nation was destroyed, and ten nations went under one king. The southern two, Judah and Benjamin, were left with Rehoboam. So, being a wise person does not guarantee having a wise son. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived who wrote so much of our Scripture, and his son who was not in any way a wise person.

But a reminder, be careful of what you say even in private; how we talk about rulers and those in power because we don't want to give them an excuse to interject themselves into our lives and make our life more difficult. Sometimes believers have put themselves out there in the political realm and they have only stirred up animosity and they have said things about rulers that should not be said. So be careful in your conversations how you talk about leaders. That's the warning of the closing verses of Ecclesiastes 10. Believers ought to guard their tongues because we can say things that will come back against us. We'd throw ourselves out for support of this, or disagreeing with this, or talking about people in power in very negative ways. We are not called to fix them, we are called to walk wisely.

So, we come into Ecclesiastes 11. He'll have some proverbs here and some instructions and commands for us in how to live our lives under the sun, in this world that is out of our control and beyond our knowledge. There is a key expression I want you to mark in your Bibles in verse 2, toward the middle of that verse, “…for you do not know…” You do not know, mark that. Then down in verse 5, the beginning of the verse, “…you do not know...” Down at the end of verse 5, toward the end in that last line, “…you do not know...” In verse 6, the second line as it is in my Bible, “…you do not know...” Four times in six verses he reminds them, “you do not know.” He has made clear earlier, so you can see now he is pulling things together that come from the background of what he has already written. “You do not know.” We are living with a certain amount of ignorance. I know where we are going after we die, as believers. I know where unbelievers go after they die. I know what God has prepared for us in the future. But for example, at the end of verse 2, “…you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.” Remember, our knowledge of tomorrow is limited, and we have been to James, don't act with overconfidence, this is what I'm going to do tomorrow. You say, if the Lord wills, this is what I'm going to do. You don't know. So even as believers, if we are going to have God's wisdom, we want to know what we don't know. And what we know that we don't know is, we don't know.

Chapter 1 starts out in verse 1, “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.” He is going to break this into two sections, the first six verses tell us to live boldly, live with confidence. We are not to be intimidated, we are to move forward during our time on this earth, use the days to accomplish what we should accomplish. And then in verses 7-10, he is going to talk about how we ought to be living our days on this earth with joy. And we have seen that before, and this will be the last as he wraps up this book, that he talks about the joy we must have as we live wisely.

So, a first verse like verse 1, just pick it up and read it, you say, “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.” Well, if you take a piece of bread and throw it on the water and wait many days it will probably be gone. So, obviously he is not talking literally. The bread refers to what is important to you, it is a commercial picture here of sending things out on ships and then you wait, and they return. And this would fit. In 1 Kings 9, we are told that Solomon sent out ships and they were filled with valuable things so they could be exchanged for other valuable things. And that all took time. In 1 Kings 10, we are told he did that every three years because with sailing ships you didn't just make quick trips. You are dependent on the weather and the wind and all of that. But that was a process he is familiar with.

So, you put the good you have, it's commercial transactions like we do in businesses, and you get into business and you get products. And you sell products, and you get money to buy products, and all of this goes on. That's what he is talking about, where he is going to be encouraging God's wise people to do, to carry out the business you should be. We are not to be intimidated and hold back as it will become clear. Sometimes God's people can say so many things could go wrong, and we want to be wise and take notice of that. But that should not intimidate us from moving forward. So, you cast your bread on the surface of the waters. It's like putting what you have to sell or trade, sending it out on the ship, and in many days it will come back. How long depends on the weather and all the other events, how much you can sell and the transactions.

Verse 2 is really covering the same things. “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight…” Now seven or eight is not an exact number, that's the way the Old Testament talks, the way it was in the time, it is an indefinite number. God says to Amos the prophet, for three transgressions of Damascus and for four, I will bring this judgment on them. It's not that specific number, it was a way of saying for an indefinite number, often many transgressions they have come to fruition in their sinful conduct. So, “Divide your portion to seven or even to eight…” Why? “…for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.” So that is wisdom.

In verse 1 you cast your bread on the waters, you put out to do business, make those decisions, you take those risks. I mean you are sending it out on a ship, it could sink. We have that in Acts 27 in the New Testament where Paul is on a sailing ship, and it is taking cargo. It gets caught in a storm. What do they have to do? Throw the cargo overboard, but they still couldn't salvage the ship. So, there is a loss. You realize, divide your portion. This is wisdom. We would say today, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Same kind of idea, those kinds of expressions. Why? Because if something happens to that basket you have lost everything. And that's the way they talk about investments and so on. I was watching a program recently where these con men con people out of their money and it starts out, if you invest with me, I can get you like 20% return on your money. And for a year or two they get 20% on their money and they begin to think, why should I be getting 4-5% over here, I'm going to take all my money and give it to him. The problem was he wasn't honest, and so they lost all their money. Then they wished they hadn't given him all their money.

That's the point here, be careful; we live in a world we don't control. Misfortunes occur on the earth, even to believers. So, this is a word of wisdom. Be careful, you have protected yourself, so to speak, you have diversified enough, you haven't put it all in one place because misfortunes come. And if it is all in one place and misfortune comes in that are, you will lose it all. In other words, in the sailing ship, don't put all your wealth on one ship because that ship may sink. Better if you are going to make an investment there, put part of it in there, but if that ship sinks, you'll have other diversified. Just practical wisdom. But a reminder that it is an uncertain world.

“…you do not know what misfortune...” Now remember God's people are not spared misfortune. Well, I'm going to . . . Lord, I'm praying about it and I know you will protect it. And how many people have lost in those kinds of things, where churches have been duped into getting their people to invest with these kinds of con artists and so on. It's just what is being said, it is wisdom in a fallen world, and a world that is under the judgment of God and misfortunes will come. You see like the fires in California, nobody could plan for that, and everybody says it's the worst we've ever seen. Well, it's the world in which we live, those kinds of events will come. And believers living in that region were also impacted by that “misfortune.” So, you wouldn't want to have everything you have in your house there. Well, I didn't trust the bank so I put everything in the basement. Well, the basement is gone, you lose everything. Just basic, practical knowledge.

He is going to give examples from nature in verse 3, “If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies.” That's one of those verses, if you aren’t somewhat familiar with the context, you read it and say, that really helps a lot. If the clouds are full, they pour forth rain upon the earth. It took the wisest man on earth to write that? And whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. I could have written that. But in the context of what he is talking about, we don't have control. We don't control the weather. So, if the clouds are full, they pour out rain, if not they don't. In other words, we have rains, sometimes we have too much rain, or rain at the wrong time as far as what we want it for.

Sometimes we have drought, then the drought goes on. And being in farm country we know the impacts of that. We can't control it. That's the point of the tree falling. You have no control over it and where it falls is where it lies. Whatever comes up in the world of nature is what you have to deal with and accept, and they can be misfortunes. A storm comes through and the wind blows the tree over and it falls on your house, that's where it falls, that's where it lies. You couldn't do anything about it. It's not like you could control that or change it, it's part of living in the world in which we live.

Part of what Solomon has done, wisdom is gaining knowledge and then learning how to implement that knowledge and apply it in the way we are living so that we avoid what we can avoid. I can't control the weather, I can't control the outcome of certain things, but I can use wisdom and know I can't control those things. The fool thinks he can, thinks he is smarter than everybody else. The wise person can't avoid disaster, but he can know that disaster can come, and I function accordingly. So similar idea. But don't get too cautious, this is the back and forth of Ecclesiastes. “He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.” We must be willing to act.

In other words, a wise person doesn't just look and say it's too risky, I'm just not doing anything. Well, you have to live. I'm just not going to do anything. If you're going to always look, I think the wind is blowing, it could get stronger, we'd better wait. And in those days, you sow seed and you didn't want to sow when it is too windy because the wind is blowing it all over the country maybe, but you need to take advantage of the opportunities. And you look at the clouds and say, we better wait, don't go the other way. Be aware that disasters can come, misfortunes occur on the earth. But that should not keep you from proceeding. There is risk in this life on this earth. I used to say when we were going through some of our projects, I want the project to be great enough that it will fail if the Lord is not in it, but not so great that it is testing the Lord in presumption. And basically, what Solomon says is we function with wisdom, but it's not wisdom just to stop functioning. You can't take the risk out of life on this earth.

Verse 5, “Just as…” and here is our expression, “…you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman...” These are things out of our knowledge, out of our control. They are things that happen under God's control. “…so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.” You see even though he hasn't talked about God in the sense of what is going on outside of our realm on earth, God has been mentioned almost as often as any other item in the book of Ecclesiastes. Now the background to this are people who know something of the Word of God, something of the revelation God has given, something of a relationship with God. We do not know, you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. So, he uses again these elements that we are familiar with, the blowing of the wind, the baby formed in the womb with the bones, and so on. We think God makes it happen. You don't know.

So, a wise person, back to my clear statement to begin with, knows he doesn't know. It's not that he knows everything, that's the fool who barges in where no one else would go. I understand I don't know all things. I am cautious, but I am not part. God expects us to use the days and use them wisely. Now remember in the parable that Jesus told, where different servants were given different talents, different sums of money and expected to use it wisely for the benefit of the master. But one was afraid of the consequences, so he just didn't do anything with what was given to him. That one was condemned.

So same idea, Jesus picking up. Some think He might have had Ecclesiastes in the background of what He was teaching those Jews. You are expected to act on what God gives you and do it with wisdom but understand that won't guarantee the outcome. But neither will it allow for just overt stupidity. That's functioning wisely. You do not know the activity of God who makes all things. I understand that God has appointed a time and the events in the time. To the best of what I know and understand in proper functioning, this would be a good way to go. Again, I act. I may take counsel from people who have wisdom, but parking is not an option. God expects us and will hold us accountable for proceeding.

Verse 6, the same idea. “Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for…” here we go, “…you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.” Another picture, uses these because that was a big part of their lives in the farming realm, sowing the seed. We expect you to be up, use the day. The morning is all right, but the afternoon will be just as good, I'll wait. No, take advantage of the good morning and if it is still good in the evening, do it in the evening. It's sort of like when I pastored in a farm community before I came here, it was the Lord preparing me, even though this is not a direct farm community. The little church I pastored was out in the country. When I left after three years one of my dear farmers, an elderly man, said to me, “Gil, you didn't know one thing about farming when you came here, and you still don't know anything about farming.” So, I don't want to imply I know any more than I observe driving down the road. But wise farming is taking advantage of the good weather when it is time to plant. Not, we have a lot of good days that will come, there is no hurry, we'll pack it all in in the end and the outcome will be good. That's what he is talking about. Be diligent, “take advantage of the day that you have” kind of attitude.

Back in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it will all your might…” And the reason is when this life is over, all those opportunities are gone. The book of Ecclesiastes is a book of activity, a book of work, a book of doing, taking advantage of the days, both for work and for enjoyment. But a lazy, parked Christian is not a biblical Christian. That's just the view of Ecclesiastes. Now there will come a time and the age comes, and just getting up and getting to the chair will be fine. And that's those days. But be careful that we don't waste the good days we have. And that's what he is going to develop here now as he comes down to verses 7-10. Do you know what he is going to say in verses 7-10? Live with a life full of joy, enjoy your life. This is the last of seven specific groupings of instructions to live in joy in the book of Ecclesiastes. It's a major focus here. This is not just work, work, work! This is in your work, there is to be joy.

He wants to emphasize here, in verse 7, “The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.” Here is what one person put, I thought he put it very well. “Life presents wonderful opportunities that men must enjoy. God's gift of life should be enjoyed, not just endured.” And I think that is what he is saying here. “The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.” Remember being under the sun, the reference to living on earth. Life is good. We have those expressions, even the unbeliever says, “Life is good. It's good to be alive.” Aren't you glad to be here today, alive? What a blessing it is, it brings joy. This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. It's great to be alive. Thank you, Lord, for this day. You don't know what my day is like. But I know you are alive. Why? I hear you complaining. So, enjoy. He's going to get to that very thing before we are done here this morning.

Look at verse 8. “Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all...” All the days are made to be filled with joy. Some days you are grinding it out, but Lord thank you for a job, thank you for work, thank you for the opportunity to make the money to buy food and provide clothes and a place to live. And even in the darkest time, the hardest time there is joy. But then there are the breaks that come, and we can take and enjoy them. Doesn't matter. Even if you live to be 76, enjoy it. Take breaks. This should be true starting back in your youth. Learn how to live wisely young, then when you are old you will be ready.

Verse 8, “…if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many.” You just sucked the joy out of that, Solomon. I thought we were on a roll here, now you tell me many dark days. But here is the encouragement. “Everything that is to come will be futility.” Now there is that word and it bugs me, it's our word hebel, sometimes translated vanity. It will be used again down at the end of verse 10. It's the last word in verse 10 and there it is translated “fleeting.” Same word, hebel. Means a breath. Do you know what he is saying in verse 8? Everything that is to come is brief, so put it this way. In the day, experience all the joy you can, but remember that day will be brief.

The joy in this life is brief, and then remember there will be many dark days, but remember those will be brief too. So, encouragement both ways. If these days are brief and the days of joy are brief, I want to enjoy every day. And even in the days that are dark, I'm thankful, Lord, that this too will pass. As the psalmist said, weeping endures for the night, joy comes in the morning. This, too, shall pass. And even when you get down into chapter 12 and we are reaching the end of our lives, we as believers know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and we enter into the fullness of joy. But he is concerned about right here in life. So, we live many years, rejoice in all the days, and when days of darkness come, it's all brief. And sometimes we miss the joy because we are concerned and afraid of what is coming.

I had one of you, I don't remember who so don't be embarrassed. But they said it is hard for me sometimes to enjoy the good times at Indian Hills because I know the next conflict is coming. And we think about that in our lives. My kids are fun at this age, but the teenage years are coming, what am I going to do? We as believers, enjoy today. Yes, there may be dark days ahead, we don't know what is coming tomorrow, but when the dark day does come, do you know what, Lord? Those days of joy have passed, they were brief, but do you know what? These days are brief, too. Thank you, Lord. Everything that comes will be a breath.

So back to rejoice. Verse 9, “Rejoice, young man, during your childhood…” And childhood is not like we think of the little kid, it's like the young man. And rejoice in your youth “…and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood.” As you transition from a young adult to getting married, having children, whatever you do as you get older, rejoice in all these stages of life. People think I'll be happy and rejoice when I get done with school. Well, then I have to face college or a job, and when I get the right job and am making decent money, found the right woman or the right man, then I'll be happy. Well! Or when we get these kids raised and out of the house, and we have some peace and quiet to ourselves, then we'll be happy. Well, I'm still stuck with the same spouse, now what do I do? If we could take a vacation, then we'll be happy. And this is the way people are, and they are missing the joy of the day that they have. That's what he is saying here. Rejoice in all these stages of life while you have them. I can't go back and live my yesterdays, and I can't really live my tomorrows. I have today, so I want to enjoy today.

“…And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes.” We say Solomon should have waited and read John, all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, and now he is saying follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yes, he is! Sometimes God's people think God doesn't want me happy because there is sin in the world and sin all around, and I'm supposed to be miserable because I'll only be happy when I get to glory. Solomon didn't have that view, and Israel wasn't to have it and couldn't have it like we have it, because they didn't have all the revelation that we do.

Enjoy life! What will people think if I do this or have that or go there? If they don't think you should do it, tell them not to do it. But why should I not do it because you don't think I should do it kind of thing. This is not the freedom to go live a hedonistic life because read the last statement. “Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.” This is not freedom in the way the world thinks of it, this is freedom to do what God has instructed me to do. And do you know what He has instructed me to do? Have joy. And that's going to vary.

I tried to get Marilyn to go golfing. I was doing a conference, and I don't do many conferences, but I was doing one in Michigan and we were across the border from Wisconsin, I think. But I arranged for golf lessons because I liked golfing and I was sure she would love it. I did it just for her, but I took them with her. And we spent all this time with this golf pro, just the two of us. We got all done, we are sitting down at the end, and she looks at me and says, “Do I have to do this again?” “This is the beginning, honey, of a life of golfing together.” I didn't know, it was the end of a life of golfing altogether.

But we can enjoy things. We see things we like to do, there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes we look at other people and if they have more than we have so they can enjoy things, maybe they can take nicer vacations or have nicer homes. Lord, help me not to envy them. I want to enjoy what the Lord has given me. Even when we were poor when I was growing up, we still found joy. Don't be afraid to enjoy what you have, that's what he is saying, but remember I will give an account to God. But I won't give a good account if I was an unhappy person because He told me to rejoice in all stages of my life. Well, Lord, I was going to rejoice when I had more money. I told you to rejoice from the beginning. You find out that if they don't learn to rejoice, I sometimes don't know what to do with people. One of the things people come to talk to a pastor about is, “I'm not happy.” Well, you know where I start? Let's talk about what it means to be a believer. Are you sure you have really, trusted Christ? Maybe you are trying to be happy when you haven't solved the basic problem. If you haven't trusted Christ, of course you are not happy.

Back in Ecclesiastes 2:25, “For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” referring to God. Do you know what the Spirit produces in the life? Love, patience, kindness… I skipped the second word—joy. And now here we are instructed to have joy. Start when you are young. We'd say trust Christ, enter a relationship with the God who can put your life together and have joy. If you are unhappy, go to the starting point, don't run over it. Of course, I'm a Christian. I have people get offended when I ask them if they are a believer. That's a red light. Why would you be offended at that if you are a believer? Second, if you are settled, you are sure you are a believer, what could I tell you? Get happy and get out of here. There are things other than that to be said.

Come over to Philippians. You are well familiar with the passage, stop at Philippians 3. You can find it in the New Testament, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians Colossians, right in those. Remember these are called the prison epistles. Do you know why? Paul wrote them when he was in prison. Philippians 3:1, Paul writes, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.” He already referred to the fact in Philippians 1 that they were suffering tribulation, persecution. He's telling them to rejoice. Come over to Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always…” in the good times, “…again I will say…” try to be happy a lot of the time. Scripture is clear, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say…” You didn't get it, you didn't quite understand what rejoice always means, so I'll say it again, “…rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” Beginning further development to help us in rejoicing. And our attitude, you see our spirit. Remember when you stand before the ruler and he is coming down on you? Don't lose your composure. We are always to function under control of a gentle, gracious spirit.

“Be anxious for nothing...” You know dark days will come, they will be many. Don't worry about anything. That's what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, remember? What are you anxious for? What you eat, what you drink, your clothes. God clothes the flowers of the field with more beauty than Solomon had, He can take care of you. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell (think) on these things.” And then practice them.

It's pretty simple. I'm unhappy, I'm depressed. It must be my spouse, it must be my kids, it must be my job, it must be my church, it must be my health, it must be my . . . It must be my own sinful rebellion against God. He wants to produce joy in the life of His children. So, you need to come back and ask am I truly a believer? Just because you grew up in this environment, doesn't mean you are saved. Just because you learned all the terminology, doesn't mean you are saved. Have you ever come to really recognize your true sinfulness and turn to the Savior? Begin that life of wisdom because you have come to fear the Lord.

Come back to Ecclesiastes 11. God will bring you into judgment, we are accountable to Him, everyone will give an account, every knee will bow. That's coming. Look at verse 10, “So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body…” Put away evil. In other words, just what we read in Philippians. Part of the problem is we are brooding over things, we are looking at our ourselves. Why am I not happy? You don't know my situation. Your situation has nothing to do with being happy, rejoicing in the Lord. “…remove grief and anger from your heart and put away…” the evil. That doesn't mean if you have a broken arm, you heal it with mind over matter. He is talking about evil, these unpleasant things from your body. Get them out.

You know the problem is we think on these things. We think what we don't like, what somebody did to us, how unfair this is, how unthoughtful they are. If I had everybody who left this church because they say we are not loving, we could be a loving church. I say where is the love going to come from if you are leaving because there is no love? If everybody that says, “We need love!” leaves, who is going to love? You have to help the rest of us “unlovers”. We are really looking for something from the outside, but it is an inside thing. I can't fix the outside and only you can allow the Lord to fix the inside.

People say Gil is black and white. What does Solomon say under the direction of the Spirit? “So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away evil from your body…” Get it out of your heart. We are supposed to sit there and say, oh you're unhappy, that's too bad. How did your day at school go? Oh, those kids are so nasty. Well, we'll fix it, let's go out and get ice cream, maybe you'll be happy. We're not helping. So, we raise them, and they go from one stage of life to the next stage, unhappy. Unhappy, unhappy. And sometimes I'm so unhappy, I'm depressed. Well, if you stay in my office much longer, that will be two of us.

I don't want to make light, but Scripture is clear, he is talking how to live with wisdom. I don't want you to sit here as an unhappy person and get up and leave without knowing there is a solution. You can be happy. God says rejoice, and He doesn't command us to do anything that He doesn't provide the enablement for. But if we don't do what He says, we won't have it. You need to start with a relationship with Him, get that settled. I've had too many people, I fear, that have grown up here, raised here and know everything, but have never come into a living relationship with Christ. And they are frustrated. It must be the situation I am in, it must be . . . You know, knowing all this, conforming to it, doesn't save you. What a difference it will make when you place your faith in Christ, and He changes you on the inside.

Then as a believer we have the responsibility to control our thinking. Philippians 4 told us what to think about, think on these things. Put away the grief, the anger, what people have done to you, anger over things, your self-pity. Get them out! That doesn't mean you have to go tell somebody. That has become a mark of the world, that they'll tell everybody about their feelings so everybody can feel sorry for them. We live in a world of victims because everybody is a victim of somebody else, and if everybody is a victim of someone else, everyone is a victim. And then those poor people, let me tell you what I am suffering, let me tell you how hard it has been for me, let me tell you what I've had to deal with, and nobody has felt bad for me.

Well, “…remove grief and anger from your heart and put away the evil from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.” They are a breath. Do you know what you are doing? You are wasting the life God has given you, you are wasting the days God has given you. And you'll note, he says here that you start young, whatever stage of life you are in. Joy is not in the future. There are joys we anticipate—the birth of a baby, marriage, these things—but basically if I am not enjoying today, I won't enjoy tomorrow. And that's the point. Childhood and the prime of life are fleeting, life is going by.

Someday I'll be sitting in the rocking chair, before they take me to the bedroom. I've always been unhappy, I've always been depressed, I've always been miserable. Well, good-bye. Life is gone, a breath. Why do we waste life on these things? These are days God has given. I'm encouraged God wants me to rejoice, wants me to enjoy today, wants me to have a realistic view of life. That doesn't mean He will keep me from all grief, that He'll keep me from dark days. But I can enjoy the day He has given me because this is the day I have. I don't know whether I'll have tomorrow, and yesterday is past. Whatever is done is done. But today I can live for Him.

Let's pray together. Thank You, Lord, for the riches of Your Word. Thank You that it is a practical Word. Lord You are the God who created us. You put us on this earth for a relationship with Yourself. You put Adam and Eve in a garden of beauty to work, to care for it, to enjoy the life You had given them, to walk in fellowship with them. And sin has brought disaster. Yet You are a God of love and grace and You have provided a Savior to rescue us from our lostness, from our misery, from our unhappiness, from our doom. Lord, I pray for each one here, that they might have entered into a relationship with You, if not that they will enter into that life that only You can give, the life that transforms the heart and makes a person new. Then, Lord, may we who have entered into that relationship with You, and experienced the power of forgiveness and new life, be careful to live wisely and to live that new life consistently in all situations, good days and difficult days, the days that You have provided for us. And as our brief life passes, may we make each day a day that honors You, a day to accomplish what You have given us to accomplish and a day we live with joy. We pray in Christ's name, amen.