Devotions

you never know

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

STAY AT IT UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE

Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

⁴ A watcher of the wind never plants and someone looking at the clouds never harvests. ⁵ In the same way that you do not know what path the wind will take, or how bones emerge from a uterus, so you do not know what God is doing when he is making all these things. ⁶ Plant your seed in the morning, and do not take it easy in the evening, because you do not know which will succeed, this or that, or whether both times together will be beneficial.

you never know

Solomon instructs us to stay engaged and diligent in our work, and not to stop working because of what might happen. The wind might interfere with today’s planting, and the rain might interfere with today’s harvest. But you never know — just like you don’t know what is happening inside a uterus where an infant’s bones are forming. God is at work, and he has not filled you in on his agenda. So, keep at it until the work is done. You never know which work times will turn out to have been the most productive. Engage and stay engaged, and persevere through the learning experience that is life. God has a plan, but you never know it, so don’t try to second guess him. Just stay at the work – whatever it is.

LORD, give us the wisdom to stay engaged and diligent until the whole work is done.

Posted in commitment, discernment, future, patience, perseverance, Solomon, success | Tagged Ecclesiastes 11 | Leave a comment

diversification

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

ARE YOUR EGGS ALL IN THE SAME BASKET?

Ecclesiastes 11:1-3

¹ Send your bread over the surface of the water, because you will find it again in many days. ² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight, because you do not know what time of distress might happen here on the land. ³ If the clouds get full, they will pour out rain upon the land; and if a tree is going to fall toward the south or toward the north, in the spot where the tree falls, there it is.

diversification

I don’t think the Hebrews had the saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” but if they did, Solomon would have used it here. The idea is that if you concentrate on only one thing, and you fail at it, you are a total failure. Instead, diversify. Be generous with what you have to as many as possible. Some day you might need one of the friends that you made by helping them out when they have a need now.

Why does Solomon say this? Because things happen which we cannot control. When that tree falls it may fall harmlessly in the woods with no one around to hear it. Or, it may fall on your car. Diversification helps you deal with the accidents that happen, and keep you going strong.

LORD, give us the wisdom to spread ourselves out a little.

Posted in change, giving, Solomon, success, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 11 | 1 Comment

staying diligent

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

QUIT YOUR LAZINESS AND COMPLAINING

Ecclesiastes 10:18-20

¹⁸ Going soft makes the roof sag, and due to idle hands the house springs leaks. ¹⁹ People make bread for laughing times, and wine to gladden lives, and making money keeps us singing about everything. ²⁰ And another thing: even in your bedroom do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a prominent man, because a bird from the sky will carry the sound, a winged creature will report the word.

staying diligent

Solomon identifies two symptoms of the same malady here. First, he warns against the tendency to withdraw and give your life over to laziness and idleness. He compares such a life to a house which starts to fall apart due to neglect.

Secondly, he warns against grumbling and complaining about “the king” – because such talk has a way of getting tweeted to the authorities, and no good can come from it.

For the person tempted to give up on working hard, and just party all the time, Solomon has an important thing to say. He tried it, and it is not as satisfying as it seems. Feasting and drinking and laughing and singing have their place, but they are best enjoyed as a result of earning them through diligence and hard work. Sitting on your bottom and blaming the politicians will only get you in trouble. Stay diligent, and you just might succeed.

LORD, forgive us for not staying diligent. Make us people of integrity and discretion.

Posted in commitment, genuineness, integrity, neglect, self-control, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

experience versus instinct

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

DISCIPLINE OR DISASTER

Ecclesiastes 10:15-17

¹⁵ The work of stupid people gets him so tired that he does not know how to walk into town. ¹⁶ Disaster will come to you, O land, when your king is a novice and when your princes feast first thing in the morning. ¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of noble ones and when your princes eat at the appropriate time– for strength, and not as an excuse to get drunk.

experience versus instinct

Solomon learned about wisdom the same way we all do – by experience. One detects a good deal of confession wrapped up in his wisdom observations. He looks back on when he was a fresh prince, a novice king who had been placed in charge long before he had learned the ropes. He remembered how lenient he had been on his own sons – letting them party any time they felt like it, not building any discipline into their lives. He just let them do what their instinct told them. Now he knows that his neglect was their downfall.

You do not have to learn by bad experiences. You can follow in the footsteps of those who have proven themselves good leaders. That is what it means to be a son of noble ones. By imitating good leadership, you bless your land. By following your instinct, you curse it.

LORD, give us the wisdom to imitate the exceptional leaders who have gone before us.

Posted in discernment, integrity, leadership, self-control, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

stupid snake charming

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

WATCH OUT FOR SMOOTH FLOWING WORDS

Ecclesiastes 10:11-14

¹¹ If the snake bites before being charmed, the charmer loses out on his profit. ¹² Words from the mouth of a wise person exude grace, but the lips of a stupid person consume him; ¹³ he starts out talking stupid, and ends up with wicked insanity. ¹⁴ Yet the stupid one multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, so who can tell him what will come after him?

stupid snake charming

Solomon had warned his readers of the danger of getting trapped by the charm of an adulteress,[1] or getting ensnared by an evil time, and dying young.[2] Now, he points out another dangerous trap: the multiplied words of a stupid person who thinks he knows the future. Solomon’s point is that all this talk about what is going to happen is snake charming, and since nobody knows the future, it is easy to fall for it. It would be better for us if the snake would immediately bite. So, Solomon’s warning for the wise is to beware of those who are so confident about the future. There is some stupid snake charming going on.

LORD, give us the wisdom to beware of those who want to charm us into bad decisions.

[1] 7:26.

[2] 9:12.

Posted in confidence, discernment, future, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

working smarter

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

ARE YOU WAILING AWAY WITH A BLUNT AXE?

Ecclesiastes 10:8-10

⁸ A person digging a pit may end up falling into it, and a snake might bite someone who breaks through a wall. ⁹ Someone cutting out stones may get hurt by them, and someone splitting logs may be harmed by them. ¹⁰ If someone’s axe is blunt and he cannot sharpen it, then he must keep trying harder. Wisdom has the advantage of helping someone succeed.

working smarter

Solomon has established the truth that things do not always work out the way you might expect. Now, he tells us not to throw up our hands and give up, but to keep sharpening our axes, so that we can increase our chances of success at whatever we do. Wisdom is the axe sharpener. It helps a person work smarter, not harder. Stupidity says “I’ll take a shortcut.” Wisdom says “I’ll do it right the first time, so I will not have to do it again, or explain my failure.”

The gospel is wisdom applied to a person’s eternal destiny. There are billions who keep wailing away with blunt axes when it comes to their relationship with God. The harder they try, the worse it gets. They cannot get to God, because he has ordained only one way: Jesus.

LORD, open our eyes, so that we see clearly the wisdom in following Jesus Christ, and how to help others to see that wisdom as well.

Posted in dependence upon God, eternal life, gospel, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

murphy rules

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

WHAT TO DO WHEN IT GOES WRONG

Ecclesiastes 10:4-7

⁴ If the ruler’s spirit turns against you, do not change your position, because calmness can overcome big mistakes. ⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake made by that ruler — ⁶ stupidity is set up in many high places while worthy men sit in humble places. ⁷ I have seen slaves on horses and princes walking like slaves in the land.

murphy rules

I love the honesty that Solomon expresses here. Gone are the bull feather expressions that are so common today, especially among the religious. He does not say that you can count on things working out OK all the time. Instead, he joins hands with Murphy and warns his sons that unfair stuff is going to happen. The ruler is going to get angry at you, so stay put and work it out. Worthy people are going to not get elected, but stupid ones are.

In a world where Murphy rules, you need wisdom and faithfulness. You need to trust God for justice to come eventually, because it is not always going to work out that way in the here and now. You need faith.

LORD, give us the courage to trust you, even when nothing goes right.

Posted in change, confidence, faith, faithfulness, Solomon, trust | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | 1 Comment

stupid weighs more

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

DON’T SPOIL IT ALL

Ecclesiastes 10:1-3

¹ Dead flies make even fragrant oil stink, in the same way, a little stupidity is weightier than wisdom and honour. ² A wise person’s heart goes this way, but the stupid person’s heart goes that way. ³ Even when the stupid one walks along the road his heart is deficient, and it tells his stupidity to everyone.

stupid weighs more

Solomon learned a lot about stupidity. He saw it as a kind of infestation, that spoils everything it touches. He compared it to the dead flies that get into perfumed oil and turn it into a stinking mess. He said you can tell stupid people by how they walk, always taking the wrong path. And the trouble is, stupidity and wisdom do not balance out. Just a little stupidity weighs more than the same amount of wisdom. Those who aspire to live their lives the right way – the wise way – need to be extra careful that they don’t spoil it all with just one wrong turn, one stupid move.

LORD, make us experts at making wise choices, and at avoiding stupid mistakes.

Posted in balance, discernment, maturity, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

forgotten wisdom

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

WALK WITH WISDOM

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

¹³ I also came across this wise saying under the sun, and it impressed me. ¹⁴ There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and laid large siege works against it. ¹⁵ But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by means of his wisdom. But no one remembered that poor man. ¹⁶ So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is going to be despised and his words are not heeded. ¹⁷ Listening to the words of the wise in quietness is better than listening to the shouting of a ruler among fools. ¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much good.

forgotten wisdom

It is better to be wise than be a fool, because wisdom can help you in a crisis, as it did the city in the story that Solomon liked. But wisdom is also impermanent. It will not last. The wisdom of a poor man is going to be despised, and his words not heeded. People are fickle, and they are just as liable to ignore wisdom as applaud it.

For Solomon, this is a major breakthrough, because he had spent his life in pursuit of wisdom. As an old man, he discovered that even wisdom is not the greatest treasure, because it does not last.

LORD, show us how to get wisdom without endangering our walk toward holiness.

Posted in holiness, relationship with God, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 9 | Leave a comment

unfair game

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

BEING FIRST TO THE TRAP IS NOT THE GOAL

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

¹¹ I turned to see that the race under this sun does not go to the swift ones, and the battle does not go to the warriors, and neither does bread go to the wise, nor wealth to the discerning, nor favour to men of ability; because time and chance overtake them all. ¹² Because man does not recognize his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds trapped in a snare, so the children of men are ensnared by an evil time when it suddenly falls upon them.

unfair game

We are taught that life is a game, and if you play by the rules and work hard, you will win. Horse feathers! Solomon learned that life seldom works out like that. The warriors fail in battle, and the athletes fail in the arena, and all of us fail unfairly all the time. Really smart people end up unemployed and hungry. We are more like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a snare. Life sneaks up on us while we are learning the rules and bonks us on the head.

The older and the more truly wise you get, the less you try to figure out the way to succeed, and the less success means to you. Once you get over the middle age panic – if you are mature enough – you realize that the game is not the ultimate thing.

LORD give us the wisdom to stop trying to win, and focus on you and our relationship with you.

Posted in kingdom of God, relationship with God, Solomon, success, works | Tagged Ecclesiastes 9 | Leave a comment