Clay in the Hands

Over the holiday weekend, we made time to spend the better part of an afternoon at the beach.  Despite the crowd that had gathered for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, we had a great time taking in the grandeur of God’s creation.

 
There is a passage from the Psalms that speaks to the power of creation.  Psalm 19 verses 1-4 say this:

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

Regardless of what life is throwing at you this morning – remember – we serve an amazing God who is bigger and greater than anything you are facing!

Be blessed today!

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We have been working verse by verse and chapter by chapter through the book of Ecclesiastes on Wednesday nights in our Bible study.  Last night, we completed our look at the least studied book in the Bible.

This book is not filled with words that you would ever find in a greeting card.  It is a realistic but pessimistic commentary on life.  Solomon was at the end of his life – a full life crammed with accomplishments, wealth, wisdom and power.  But his conclusion, after pursuing all these endeavors and succeeding in just about everything he attempted, was it was all pointless.  He used words like futility, vanity and meaningless.

As I said, inspirational quotes for greeting cards do not appear within these 12 chapters.  But what does appear is an authentic and extremely raw look at life.  The frustration and depression we feel about the world from time to time but would never bring up in a small group at church is exactly what Solomon put into words.

And through his dissection and analysis of this life “under the sun” he learned a valuable principle.  The foundational principle of life he defined was not relevant for his era only.  This principle is foundational today as well.  The timeless truth Solomon uncovered in all his study, thought and experience was this:

Fear God and keep his commandments (12:13)

That’s it.  The answer to the age old question of the meaning of life is made up of 6 words.

This idea of fear is not terror but rather reverence and healthy respect.  It carries the idea of submission and love – of worship.  We only find purpose in life when we approach God in this manner.  What we see “under the sun” is all temporary – pointless.  But when our focus is on loving and pleasing God by following him and his plan for our lives, then even life in the here and now has meaning.

Live with lasting purpose today!

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Do you ever run into those folks who brighten your day just for being around them?  How about those who you know have experienced great loss and yet God’s joy just shines through them?

This morning I had the opportunity to have breakfast with a friend of mine who brightened my day with his strength of character and the joy that keeps him going.  He is coming up on the anniversary of a tremendous loss – a loss that would be crippling for most anyone.

As I sat across from him and listened to what is going on in his life this week, I could see the change in physical appearance – slight but real.  He endured the struggle of the flooded river a year ago but the storm that caused that initial struggle to survive left bigger struggles ahead.  The loss of his family in that storm quickly minimized his initial struggle.  He lives with that loss every single day.

But since that dreadful day, God has continued to use him as a testament to God’s faithfulness.  The joy he possesses today is a result of a faith in God and the peace that comes in knowing his family shared that same faith.

As I sat with him this morning, my day was lifted to look into the eyes of one who has endured so much but yet with strength and hope.  His joy, even in the midst loss, reminds me we serve a faithful God.  He reminds me that we may not ever get over tremendous loss in our lives but through the strength of God we get through it.  His life will never be the same but that does not mean it can’t be meaningful.

What an example of how its done!

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Sunday, I was in my office early. I had not slept well through the night – waking up almost hourly with the sermon on my mind and heart. Each time I awoke, I would begin to pray for God to speak into me and then speak through me the next morning.

It is not that I had not prepared for the sermon. Truth be told, I had more information in my notes than with many sermons. I felt my points were clear and the content consistent with the text. So I couldn’t understand the anxiety. Even now, two days later, I am not sure what was going on.

I would like to say that through the worship experience, people were moved to action. I wish I could write about how God used my turning to him to really make a difference in the hearts of his people.

I trust God moved in the hearts of the people, but I didn’t see an overwhelming display. But this experience has reminded me of an important truth – it is never about me. I can put hours into a sermon and feel good about how it will go but what I have to remember is that my role is not to invoke some kind of response. The point of the sermon is never to manipulate.

My role is to be faithful and trust completely in the Father. My calling is to work hard during the week and go to the pulpit with my absolute best each and every Sunday. Then I must trust God to take it from there.

Remember today that God wants your best – the very best you can do – and leave the outcome to him.

Be your best today!

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