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Today is Wednesday July 28, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapters 1-4. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-july-28

Today's Message: Laboring With Merit

The Book of Ecclesiastes is the twenty-first book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twelve chapters. The author of the book is King Solomon and it was first written to the Israelites, but is for all believers in general. The purpose of the book was to provide a description of the quest for life apart from God and to prove that Life apart from God, no matter how much one has, is vanity (worthless). Most people have ambition in life and whether it is something to help or hurt people they will do the labor needed to accomplish what they set out to do. The word labor in this case is defined as productive activity, or doing the work necessary to get the job done. Did you ever spend hours, days, or even weeks working on a project only to get to the end of it and you found out that a part was broken and you had to take it all apart? I started out wanting to be an electronic tech and we had to design and build the equipment we were going to use. Once I built a volt meter, got done with it and something was not working right, it took me longer to figure out the problem than to build it, and I never did get it working right because there was a defective part. Did you ever spend hours doing a job for someone only to finish and he criticized everything and would not pay no matter how much you tried to get it right for him? I build websites, I just had a customer that wanted one page, gave me garbage to work with and wanted it to be a masterpiece. I spent two weeks working on this page and he still criticizes it. These are examples of productive activity with no merit (worth), or labor that is vain (worthless), so much work, yet nothing really gets accomplished.

As Christians we too can become examples of productive activity with no merit, it is vain if one goes to church, reads the Bible, and prays, yet does not apply what he learns out side of the church. That is an example of a Christian laboring with no merit. While our works do not get us saved and into heaven, it is our works after we get saved that show merit. King Solomon was brought up by King David, a man known as the apple of God's eye. Solomon became a Preacher, had the Temple of God built, and was known as the wisest and richest man on earth, he even recited the longest prayer after the Temple was built (I Kings 8:22-61). “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.... I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” - Ecclesiastes 1:1-4,12-14. The word vanity here means having excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, or achievements. The word vexation, means troubling. So, what Solomon is warning us is that no amount of wisdom or work done without God has any value and is troubling to the spirit. God loves it when His children do His work or in other words, follow His will, but if God is not with us as we do it, it is worthless and we never see peace in our hearts.

It is recorded that, when Solomon began his reign, he loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of David, but Solomon's heart got corrupted when he allowed the world to enter it. His priorities were no longer seeking the will of God, but became distorted and he gradually set his heart on material projects, wealth, women, and their heathen gods. Solomon eventually concluded that all of it was vanity. “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.” - Ecclesiastes 2:10-12. Solomon admits here that everything he labored for was to please his flesh, but it was all worthless and was troubling to his spirit. Sadly, many today are still trying to gain fulfillment with earthly pursuits while ignoring the will of God ans wondering why they are never happy.

Just as everything else in life what we labor for needs to be in the will of God, if we are following His will, nothing we do for Him or for anyone will be in vain. “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” - Ecclesiastes 2:24-26. God blesses the work we do for Him when we do it wholeheartedly and by His wisdom. Solomon continues, “I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.” - Ecclesiastes 3:10-14. This is a prime example of God's gift of free will. God is saying, if you want the world, go get it, but I am not going to be there when you get in trouble. I have already given you everything that you need to be happy, just trust me and I will take care of you.

Solomon is a witness to the fact that no one can be satisfied with mere worldly pleasure and attainments for they become substitutes in our hearts for the One Person to whom we owe our supreme devotion to, the Lord Jesus Christ. We were not created to become laborers for "things" but to become the person He desires us to be and to accomplish His purpose for our lives. “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” - I John 2:23-25. As long as we have Jesus in us and allow Him to abide in us than we will be Christians laboring with merit, most of all eternal life with Him. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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