Maturing as a Christian

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Focus Verse:  Psalm 119:71 "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes."

As soon as a baby is born it begins a path to maturity but that path is not always easy.  A baby must learn to eat as soon as it's born.  A baby must learn to walk but it will fall many times as it learns.  A child can't understand why the parent says "no".   As it gets older there is learning to read, work math and protecting a garden from the monkeys.  There is much to learn about life on the path to maturity.

In the same way, a Christian must mature.  As Christians our goal is to mature in Christ and that path is not always easy either.  We can face many trials emotionally, spiritually and physically.  This week there was reported in the LA Times that there were over 500 tornadoes in central United States. There are many people around the world going through a very difficult time for a variety of reasons.  It is hard to understand why we must have struggles, but God is working out His plan.  He knows the circumstances in every single life, and He knows what is best.  Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."    Therefore, for those people who are Christians, maybe God wants them to mature in their faith through their struggles or have their neighbor come to Christ by watching their faith.  For others who do not know Christ, God may use this storm to bring them to salvation.

No matter what we are going through, we can be at peace knowing that God sees every detail of what is happening in our lives.  He is with us, loving us.  He will not allow anything that He can not work out for the ultimate good.  So the next time you are in a difficult situation look for ways that God may want you to mature in your faith.  God always has a purpose for everything.

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

What’s The Meaning of Our Labor?

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

 

Focus verse:
Proverbs 23:4-5 "Do not toil to acquire wealth; be wise enough to desist.  When your eyes light upon it, it is gone; for suddenly it takes to itself wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven."

Here we find Solomon still stuck in a state of unhappiness.  He’s complaining about life and his labor.  He is unhappy because as he gets older he realizes that one day someone else will enjoy all his wealth and they didn’t work for it.  He wondered if they would manage everything well or poorly.  James 4:14 says, “You do not know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”  Our life on this earth is short, and Solomon looks back at his life and he hates it and all his labor.  Someone else is  going to have all his stuff, and this thought gives him even more stress about the value of his hard work.  

 

Solomon is saying when you live life without God being first in your life, you really have no purpose and everything is meaningless.  Verse 24 tells us that God wants us to enjoy our work and to enjoy our life.  And when Christ is FIRST in our life, all the pieces will fall into place, and life will be enjoyable and have meaning.  When we do our work with God’s perspective we will enjoy our work and it will take on new meaning.  

 

Extra scripture about why we work:

• To make a living - 2 Thess.3:12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.

• To provide for our household- Proverbs 31:27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

• To bless others Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.

• To Increase in wealth- Proverbs 13:11 Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but he who gathers little by little will increase it.

 Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Wise or Foolish Death Still Comes

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:12-16

As Solomon continues to write Ecclesiastes he continues his search for meaning, purpose, and significance in life.  He looked for these things in all the pleasureful places, but nothing satisfied him.  Then he started to compare wisdom with foolishness.  As he thinks deeply, he finds that both end in death.  He comes to realize that a wise person without true meaning in their life is no better than a fool.  

 

Take a look at your own life today.  Where are you looking for true meaning, peace, and purpose in your life?  The world cannot help you with lasting quantities of these things.  You may have heard people say, “you need to attend the right school, or you need to get the right job, or you need to live in the right house, and on it goes.  Though it is true that education is important and providing for your family is important, but outside of Christ these these things will one day leave you empty and without purpose.  By the time Solomon figured this out he was an old man.  He said all this was vanity or grasping at the wind.  A life lived without God is meaningless.  

 

Ask God to show you what areas of your life you are trying to do on your own.  Then tell God you want Him to be involved and guide you in these areas.  

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Pleasure is All Vanity

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

Focus Verse: Ecclesiastes 2:10  “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.  I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my reward from all my labor.” 

Wow!  Our focus verse sounds like Solomon was headed for disaster if he didn’t change something.  I would be in big trouble if I gave my eyes anything they desired or gave my heart anything it desired.  The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9  “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?"  If you follow your heart as Solomon was doing, it will get you into trouble every time.  We are to lead our heart, not follow it.  We can lead our heart to follow Jesus.   Once again, Solomon did not deprive himself of any pleasure he wanted and he came to the same conclusion.  He says in verse 11 “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled, and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.  There was no profit under the sun.”  

Have you ever tried to catch the wind?  You can’t do it.  It’s like trying to grasp sand, it slips right through your fingers.  Jesus tell us a story in Luke 12 starting in verse 15 about a rich fool.  Jesus says “Beware. Guard against every kind of greed.  Life is not measured by how much stuff you have.  Solomon became an example of all that a person could gain, even the whole world and yet be no richer for it.  There is a song "Give me Jesus" that says it so well. “You can have all this world - Just give me Jesus”

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Link to "Give me Jesus" song video: https://youtu.be/9rZ8k9m2hwo

The Grief of Wisdom

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

Focus verse: "For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." Ecc 1:18  and "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." Psalm 51:12

Last week we started in the book of Ecclesiastes.  Solomon is looking for answers in life.  He is searching for the meaning of life.  He is searching for what makes life worth living. Why does he eventually comes to the point of saying “all is vanity”?  Remember Solomon had a lot of responsibility being king of Israel.  Solomon had it all. He had money, wisdom, women and anything else he wanted, yet life seemed meaningless...and he was empty inside.  

 

These are the things he experienced: Life can be hard. (verse13)  Purpose in life seems to be something that is just out of reach. (v.14)  Some things in life we are not able to change. (v.15)  Solomon comes to the conclusion at the end of chapter one that wisdom and experiences in life do not solve all our problems. (v.16-18).  

 

We may not understand why things happen, so it’s good for us to live by the promises of God and trust Him.  God does not owe us any explanations for why things happen though He may allow us to find out one day.  I think Solomon was actually getting bored with life.  Real purpose and satisfaction for this life can become possible through a relationship with God.  So weather you have plenty like Solomon, or you have needs, God is the only One that can bring meaning and joy to our life. 

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

God Brings Purpose to Life

God Brings Purpose to Life

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

The next several weeks we are going to look into the book of Ecclesiastes. If you have ever read Ecclesiastes you know there is a theme that is talked about throughout the whole book.  Life is so empty when we seek happiness in riches, power, popularity, prestige, pleasure, and security.  

We think all these things will give us what we want, but in reality none of these things can bring lasting fulfillment in our lives.  How do I know this?  Because Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, had all of these things.  He had a temporary happiness.  He had money, and lots of it.  It is believed he had much more wealth than the richest person on earth today. He also had power because he was the king of Israel.  He had pleasures. He could have any beautiful woman he wanted. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, yet gives us the contrast between a self-centered life of indulgence, with a life that is God-centered. 

Solomon comes to this conclusion at the end of his life; Life is empty and without purpose if you travel this life without God as the center.  God created you with a void in your life that cannot be filled with the things of this world.  That void can only be filled with God Himself.  Don’t come to the end of your life and say, “all is vanity, all of life is meaningless.  God can and will bring meaning and purpose into your life if you will let Him.  Next week we will continue to look into the book of Ecclesiastes and the life of King Solomon.  Hopefully we can learn from the life of Solomon and not make some of the same mistakes he did.

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

God Will Triumph Over Evil

God Will Triumph Over Evil

Scripture Reading: Psalm 10:1-7

Focus Verse: 

Romans 8:28  says, “For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

It’s a question that I, and millions of people have asked.  Why doesn’t God do something when evil people prosper, and righteous people suffer?  We have all seen situations like this.  Perhaps where someone steals something and it looks like they never get caught.  We have also seen situations where a good upstanding Christian has gone through great suffering with no end in sight.   And we think, "Where is God in all of this?  Does God even care what is going on?  What is God thinking?"

The heart of an evil doer will one day be exposed.  A liter of paint will not be able to hide the evil heart.  It will come to light one day.  When God is silent He is giving opportunity for repentance, but the opportunity will pass and one day come to a close.  That is when judgment will come.   The Lord will say, “depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity." Luke 13:27   

Even those who have suffered for righteousness sake have been on the side of evil at one point in their lives.  The Bible says, “all have sinned.”  We were all guilty but now are cleansed in the blood of Jesus.  When going through suffering ultimately we must trust that God is sovereign and know that He is doing what is best.  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.  God has a plan He is working out.  We can’t always see the end of that plan, but we must trust that it is good.  Jesus triumphed over our sin at the cross.

God always triumphs over evil in the end.  

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

 

Additional reading:

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10