The Kind of Faith God Values Most Seems to Develop Best When He Remains Silent.

There have been times in my life when the presence, plan and leadership of God were so clear it was if He was walking beside me telling me where we were going and why.  There have also been times when I desperately wanted and thought I needed that presence, plan and leadership God in my life and He was silent.  While we would often prefer God to openly communicate and guide our lives, extensive Bible study shows that He is frequently silent.  There are times when He appeared, talked and displayed His presence in powerful ways.  There were direct personal conversations with Adam & Eve, Abraham, Samuel, Moses, etc. There are also long periods of time when God remained silent.  He promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation.  At the end of Genesis, we see a small group of Isaacs's descendants then Exodus opens with these descendants of Israel growing larger but enslaved be the powerful nation of Egypt for some 400 years.  Think of the stories of the promise of becoming a great nation that parents and grandparents told their children and grandchildren who were born into slavery and would die in slavery for generations with no word from God following up the promise…until a man on the run from Egyptian soldiers for murder saw a burning bush in the desert.  God clearly spoke to Moses and then showed His power and presence in such dramatic ways that even the Egyptians believed and let Moses walk away with millions of Hebrew slaves headed to the ‘promised land’. 

They were about to set off on a journey directly guided and protected by God in powerful visible displays never seen before or since.  The sea would part to let them pass ahead of the pursuing Egyptian army.  Once they were on the other side God closed the sea and destroyed that threat.   His presence was manifested as a pillar of cloud to guide them in the day and a pillar of fire to comfort at night.  Moses would go up the mountain and have direct conversation as one man to another.  God protected them and supplied all their needs.  Deuteronomy 29:4-6 says; “But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.”. 

They were fed Manna from Heaven and never received a bill.  Rarely in the Bible did God show Himself, His power, mercy and grace so frequently to such a large group.  And how did they respond to the powerful presence and dramatic displays of His power?  They complained on a regular basis and when Moses was on Mount Sinai, conversing with God interceding for the Hebrew people, they made a golden calf to worship instead of the God who had been repeatedly performing miracles displaying His power and presence! 

The Old Testament is filled with examples of God exhibiting His power and presence.  Look at the example of Elijah on Mount Carmel.  He challenged 450 prophets of Baal to a public contest to prove whose God was real.  They both would build an alter then place a sacrificial bull on the alter but not light the fire.  “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”  I am sure you are familiar with the story (1 Kings 18) as they tried in every way to have their god respond.  Elijah ridiculed them and then saturated his alter with water so much that it filled the trench around the alter.  Then he prayed; “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”  Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.  When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”  Well, that revival, sadly, like many didn’t last long.  Elijah was soon found fleeing from Jezebel in fear of his life. 

What happened?  Well, it seems that we are and have long been a people with a very short memory and fickle faith.  Even the most dramatic display of God’s power and presence in our midst, when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), was met with doubt, skepticism and rejection.  Scripture tells us that “not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5). Jesus' own family rejected him as the Messiah.  In spite of the miracles and power that He possessed Jesus was scorned and rejected.  I think one of the saddest verses in the Bible is John 1:11; “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”  After mankind's negative reaction to these most demonstrative revelations of God's power and presence, who could blame God for the 'silent treatment'?

The last sermon series I preached before retirement was on Hebrews 11.  This entire chapter is devoted to faith.  Verse 1 begins with; “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Then the chapter begins to describe the faith of people we consider spiritual giants such as, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc.  This chapter is often referred to as the ‘Hall of Faith’ as it lists the people whom we would consider giants of faith.  However, the chapter concludes reminding us that ‘Hall of Fame Faith’ remains even when God is silent as verses 11:39 & 40 remind us that; “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”   I always found it remarkable that “none of them received what had been promised”, but none lost their faith! 

So, when we look at the crazy world in which we live with growing violence, war, climate changes, political insanity, illness that affects us and our loved ones and we pray for God to act; what should we do when He remains silent? We should remember to do as the members of Hebrew’s ‘Hall of Faith’ did in holding on to the “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Whether we like it or understand it, the kind of faith God values most seems to develop best when He remains silent.  Therefore, if you are at the end of your rope of prayers and faith…tie a not and hang on.  God may remain silent but remember Hebrews 11.  He has planned 'something better for us so that we will all be made perfect'.  At least that what He has promised! 

Always Leave It Better Than You Found It!

Years ago, when I was working to make an honest living as a minister, I participated and led many mission trips and disaster relief trips.  It is considered a mission trip when one goes to another part of the country or to another country to assist the residents in a spiritual or physical endeavor.  A disaster relief mission is one where a trained team goes into a region that has just experienced a natural disaster, such as a flood, tornado hurricane, etc. and renders immediate help that is needed for residents to try to recover from the disaster.  

In either case we often stayed in homes or churches as there were often no other accommodations available.  I always had a motto that I shared with my teams, whether we stayed in a church or someone’s home.  “Always leave it better than you found it!”

I noticed that especially on disaster relief trips where we would often be housed in a church or facility with teams from other states or areas in camping type situations because many motels or other resources had been destroyed by hurricanes or tornados, that some teams would leave the areas in a mess.  I guess they did not realize that church volunteers would have to clean up their mess in addition to recovering from the tornado, flood or hurricane that had brought the teams to their area in the first place.

I always told our teams that we would follow our motto; “Always leave it better than you found it!” That applied not only to the area where we would clear downed trees, make necessary repairs to downed homes, etc.  But we would also leave the area/church/homes that hosted us without having to clean up behind us when we left.  We would leave every place better than we found it as much as possible.  I felt that this would leave the most positive impression on those we came to assist. 

I still think this is a good way to look at life.  I admit that some of this philosophy comes from my OCD tendencies where I hate to see things left undone, trash left in the parking lot, pictures hanging crooked, etc.  I know I should probably be in therapy.  My wife calls me a “Boy Scout” when I return shopping carts left in the parking lot to the proper place or pick up trash that someone threw out the window. 

But think about it, what if we all decided to leave things better than we found them?  We would all be seeking to improve the world around us rather than consuming and leaving things for someone else to take care of it.   

I have now long been retired and no longer lead people on mission or disaster relief mission trips but I still try to leave things better than I found them.  And I still think this is a good philosophy.  I think the world would be better if we left things better than we found it so others would not be having to deal with a mess left behind by someone else.

This is one of my shorter blogs but I think I got my point across.  I hope that wherever you go and whatever you do from this day forward you will try to “Always leave it better than you found it!”

The Last Word

Years ago, I was serving 50 churches in various capacities.  We organized Disaster Relief ministries to help those recovering from hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and any other natural disaster.  We removed trees from houses, rebuilt homes and cleaned out flood damaged homes.  We also rebuilt and repaired homes for poor people in our home area and in other states.  We organized teams of retired, middle aged and young people who connected in the name of Christ to minister to those in need.  I was also privileged to participate and lead teams to go overseas to dozens of countries to share the love of Christ in many ways; through construction, medical and Bible teaching teams.  Some of these third world countries required extreme focus on security as we often were in places that would be dangerous.  I have had armed soldiers stop our van seeking a bribe before we could pass.  We went to places where we had constant police escorts that were necessary to grant us safety for the work and ministry we sought to give. 

I never thought about my personal safety.  I always assumed that “God would take care of me…as long as I didn’t do anything too foolish.”  However, my wife would always worry about me.  That’s what people who genuinely love you do…and I am blessed as she genuinely loves me! 

She once asked me which one of my pastor friends would I want to conduct my funeral should something happen.  Being the natural born smart-alecky person I have been most of my life, I answered; “Don’t bother anyone.  I’ll do it myself!”   I then began thinking about recording my own funeral. 

I decided that I would film myself kayaking down a creek and stopping at the camera I had previously set up to share some final thoughts and wisdom with a sense of humor.  (hey, it’s my funeral, I can call it wisdom and humorous if I want to!) I would record a DVD that would be placed in a safe deposit box not to be opened or viewed until my death.  I picked out the perfect spot.   It was a creek that had a bend that came to a perfect place to put the camera for recording.  I would set everything up and set the camera to record then go off camera to get into the kayak upstream and paddle into the camera range, pulling over to share greetings and my final words.  After sharing whatever wisdom, I thought I had obtained over the years, I would pause and look over my shoulder and say, “Well, I guess it is time to see what is around the next bend.  See you later!”  I would then reach out of camera range and hit the remote to start the CD that would begin playing Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Movement 2 (Largo).  William Arms Fisher, who was one of Dvorak's student's, put words to the melody that became the popular song; ‘Going Home’.  What a perfect ending!

I couldn’t have been more excited and pleased with my funeral…then as if God Himself tapped me on the shoulder, I heard in my mind; “OK, smart boy if you want to toy with and be cute about the end of your life be careful!  I hold your life in my hands.  It is not something to be trifled with.  It is a precious fragile gift that is to be meant to be lived to the fullest every day I give you breath!”  OK! OK! I get the point!  When we are not to focus on dying, which we will all do, but on living and making the most of each day that we are here.  When our time comes the way which we lived our lives should be the testament we leave. 

At the risk of jumping completely off the theological ledge, on which I am always precariously balanced, I am reminded of a conversation from my favorite western book and movie; Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.  Augustus McCrae, the philosophical Texas Ranger cowboy is sharing his thoughts about life with his best friend, Captain Woodrow F. Call, who is the total opposite of Gus.  Call is hardworking, pragmatic and simple in his way of viewing life usually totally frustrating the thoughtfulness of Gus, who is discussing the life of someone they both knew who could have possibly lived a more fulfilling life outside of the confides of the dead-end town of Lonesome Dove.  Call responds, missing the point completely saying that “she could have died anywhere!”  Gus rises up in his saddle and says; “It ain’t dying I’m talking about, it’s living,’ Augustus said. ‘I doubt it matters where you die, but it matters where and how you live.”

What one says about us after we are gone matters less than where and how we live.  If we live each day to the fullest of our ability loving our neighbor and God as we love ourselves, we have already left the most eloquent words that will be repeated about us after we are gone.  

God's Perfect Vision

It was late December in 2019 when Cathy and I were sharing breakfast with a friend.  As we were approaching a new year, 2020, she asked me to expound on a thought.  She was familiar with an occasional internet blog I started in 2008 where I would sometimes share thoughts or encouragement.  She told me that since 20/20 vision was considered perfect that she wanted to spend the year of 2020 seeking God’s perfect vision for her at this time in her life.  I thought that was a great idea and wrote an article about finding God’s perfect vision for this time in our life.

Well, we didn’t get very far in the year for perfect vision until we began hearing and learning about a new word, COVID.  Everything changed.  We lost loved ones.  Some became very ill but recovered.  Some are still recovering.  Businesses closed.  Some never recovered.  Others are still struggling. 

Personally, I had a very mild case of COVID but other things started happening.  I tell people that I am now 71 years old and the first 68 years were OK.  Since 2019, I have had six minor surgeries, one major surgery, three heart procedures and I am getting hearing aids next week.  I am reminded of a picture my dad had on the wall.  Two cowboys were leaning on a fence.  A brief glance told you immediately that both had lived a very hard and rough life.  One cowboy is leaning toward his friend saying; “Boy, if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have took better care of myself!”   

So what lessons were there to be learned from the past three years?  What was discovered by seeking God’s perfect vision?  Well, I was reminded, as I had preached for many years, that we live in a sin-scarred world where bad things can happen to anyone at any time.  While it is often difficult or impossible to understand with our finite and limited spiritual knowledge and vision, God does not bring or cause suffering in our life or world but he does often allow it to work in our lives to help us obtain perfect spiritual vision and knowledge.  In no vague or uncertain terms, Scripture affirms that God made Jesus perfect through suffering. This is stated in Hebrews 5.8-9: “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”

My mother used to say that she would be happy if her children were happy.  We cannot base our happiness or feelings on external circumstances, of which we have no control.  The only thing we can truly control in this life is our response to what just happened. 

Paul discovered the secret to finding contentment in the midst of any circumstance. He truly knew what it was to go through difficult circumstances.  He had been beaten, shipwrecked and bitten by a snake all while trying to follow God’s plan and share the Gospel.  He was falsely imprisoned when he wrote Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul says that he can do anything, and go through anything God sets before him because he knows the Lord will provide the strength to complete that trial. We also can do whatever God sets before us if we trust the Lord to provide.

I was reminded again that life is truly fragile, brief and fleeting.  One can lose life, health, wealth, family and friends in a flash.  Even a long life on this planet is but a blink in eternity.  While God dwells in eternity we exist in a world of time with all its’ limitations.  Perfect spiritual vision leads us to see the importance of loving life, family and friends every second of each day.  One never knows what the next second may bring in this sin-scarred world. 

I cannot accomplish anything positive by worrying about injustice, political chaos and violence that seems to be constant and out of my control.  Again, the only thing we can truly control in this life is our response to what just happened.  I may not be able to change circumstances in this world but I can do something about trusting God by faith more each day and how I treat and react to the people I encounter each day no matter what the circumstances in the world may be for me or them.  Whether it is family that I live with, friends and neighbors I see regularly or the strangers I encounter on a daily basis; I can be as kind, loving, patient and helpful to each and every one I encounter.  I think that is God’s perfect vision for my life at this time. 

Look for the Pony!

The secret in life is often found in how one handles situations that don't turn out well. I have a saying that my wife has heard me say often when things don't go the way I hoped or planned. I smile and tell her, "I am looking for the pony."  The saying came from a story I came across years ago.  

A set of identical twins were being studied for their behavior. One was continually positive and joyful while his identical twin had been negative and depressed from birth. The identical twins were placed in isolated environments to study and find the reason for their opposite behavior. The negative and depressed twin was placed in a new playground furnished with all the newest toys and games on the market. The positive joyful twin was placed in an old rundown barn with nothing but horse manure in empty stalls.

The negative and depressed twin sat motionless on the playground and never played with the first toy. After several hours of no play the psychiatrists went in and asked why he sat still for so long and never played with any tows. He replied, “Well they were all new, I figured I might break something then I would be blamed since I was the only one here so why bother.”

His positive brother meanwhile was being observed running wildly through the barn from stall to stall, slipping on manure. It seemed that the more manure he found the faster he ran and wider he smiled. The psychiatrists decided the twin was showing signs of emotional disturbance so they went in and stopped his frantic running from stall to stall. As he was grinning and covered in manure, they asked him what he was doing and why he seemed to be having so much fun. He smiled and said, “With this much manure there has got to be a pony somewhere and I am going to find it!”

Moral of the story; Much of what we get out of life has to do with our attitude. Many are surrounded by blessings yet they ignore them. There will also be times when life will tumble in. It is always best to “Look for the Pony!”

 

The last day that I will be 70 years old

 Today is the last day that I will be 70 years old.  There are certain ages that seem to capture our attention more than others.  I remember my 15^th birthday because I could get my driver’s license learner’s permit.  I remember turning 18 because that meant that I could vote, get drafted & buy beer.  It wound up not being such a big deal.  I didn’t get drafted or buy beer however I voted in the presidential election for the first time in my life but the president I voted for is the only one in history to quit.  Oh well!  Other ages had some significance here and there.  I never really thought about getting older until I turned 50.  Living half a century got my attention.  This was my ‘wake-up call’ that my years of life were rapidly moving along.  Turning 65 was noteworthy because I qualified for Medicare.  But 70…there is a Psalm that deals with the 70^th birthday.  The 90^th Psalm is a prayer of Moses that’s probably the oldest Psalm in the Bible.  Moses lived long past 70, in fact the Bible tells us that Moses died at the age of 120.  However, he wrote in Psalm 90:10; “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.’  This is an interesting observation for someone for whom 70 years is just a little past the halfway point in his life.  However, after living 70 years, he came to the realization that even what we consider a long life is actually brief for the days ‘quickly pass and we fly away’ and they are filled with ‘trouble and sorrow’. 

It may have been that 70 for Moses was similar to my 50.  Perhaps this was the time when Moses first began to grasp how quickly life seems to pass.  Each of us has a point when we realize that our time on earth is brief and fleeting.  One day my grandmother put pen to paper and reflected on her life as she pondered memories, both good and bad, of her life.  She was known for her writing talent.  I inherited the writing bug from her.  My cousin compiled a collection of her writings in a book that her children and grandchildren continue to treasure.  Today I refer to a particular writing where she looked back at the life she had seen and experienced thinking, as did Moses, how even in the best times there is always trouble and sorrow.  She wrote about how she hated thinking of leaving this life.  She was a woman of great faith and knew Heaven waited but she felt impressed to speak of the blessings and difficulties she had seen and the loved ones she would miss.  She was 65 when she put her feelings on paper.  She didn’t know that she would live another 33 years until the age of 98 but this seemed to be a time of significance in the way she viewed life from that point on. 

Moses may have been at a similar place in his thoughts and observations about life.  A couple of verses later he declares the importance of knowing that our days of life are numbered.   Like it or not, there is a specific number of days to each life.  We don’t know the number of days we will live but each of us has a certain number of days to our life and then it will end.  I often have said that I would like to know the number of my days.  As I approach the last few days, I would do nothing but eat Oreos and ice cream.  Obviously, that is a foolish way to look at making the most of one’s last days.  It would be much wiser to spend those days enjoying time with loved ones.  And since we don’t know the number of the last day it would be wise to live each day as fully as if it could be the last time you will be with loved ones…because it could. 

Moses states in verse 12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”   A heart of wisdom comes from knowing that our days are numbered.  It matters not that we don’t know the number of our days.  Realizing that our number of days are limited should make us realize that we need to make the most of each day and not waste any time.  The days can’t be reclaimed once they pass.  Usually, we don't number our days; we number our years. When you have a birthday and someone asks how old you are, you tell them your age in the number of years. But true spiritual wisdom comes from numbering our days, because we live a day at a time.  We don’t know that we will have tomorrow but we know that we have today.  God has ordained that the entire universe functions a day at a time.  Jesus taught us to pray for God to, “Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11).  

A heart of wisdom lives each day as if it could be the last…because it could be.  We may realize that our days are numbered but we don’t know when that last number/day will arrive.  It could be years from now or moments away.  Therefore, we need to treat each moment as precious, fragile and fleeting.  That means treating everyone we encounter each day in the same fashion.  We never know if this will be the last day we will have with them.  If You knew today would be the last day you would have with a loved one or friend, wouldn’t you make that day/moment as positive as possible?  Who would want to have their last day with anyone as a day of anger or frustration?  So, since we don’t know the number of our last day, or that of anyone else, a heart of wisdom leads us to make the most of every opportunity to make the day as happy and pleasant as possible.  A heart of wisdom treats each day and each person we encounter that day as cherished and valued. 

As I approach my 25,915^th day (71 years x 365 days…I may be a product of the Mississippi public school system but I can still do basic multiplication…with a calculator), I am going to try my best to make the most of each day.  Wouldn’t the world be better if we all did that?  A heart of wisdom teaches me to love, appreciate and treasure each moment and each person I encounter as I number each precious day. 

We also live by God's wisdom. Wisdom is knowing and having discernment, so that we can apply the truth of the Word of God at the right time, in the right way, with the right motive. Wisdom comes from the Word of God and from getting to know Him and ourselves better.

Wisdom in ancient Hebrew picture language means one who is skilled at separating good from bad. So, how does one become skilled at separating good and bad? By studying and applying the Word of God. In the Bible, God identifies good and bad behaviors and beliefs; our challenge is to find out what God has to say on a matter and align our beliefs and behaviors with the Bible, thus becoming wise.

Considering God's righteous anger and wrath (Psalm 90:11), Moses provides an example of sensible prayer. He asks God for wisdom to account for our time. Time flies, life is uncertain, fragile, and fleeting and God judges sin. It is important, therefore, to value the moments and days He has given us. The best was to value the day is to live each moment as if it could be our last…because it could.  Live each moment being grateful for that moment of life right now, no matter what it holds.  Learn, grow and persevere knowing that whatever the moment holds, good or bad, it will “quickly pass and we fly away.”  Do all you can to help those around you enjoy the moment or day with love and harmony for one another.  We cannot know what tomorrow will bring (Proverbs 27:1), so we ought to dedicate today and every day to the Lord.  That is what I plan to do on my last day to be 70 years old.  Then if I wake in the morning, I will repeat that plan for my first day to be 71 years old and following.  Hope you have a great day, no matter what number it is for you!

Savor and enjoy each day!

 People search far & wide for purpose & meaning in life.  Some seek to find purpose or meaning in relationships, success, power.  Often accomplishing one’s dream can lead to disappointment as it does not fill the void of real purpose and meaning one was seeking.  Others may give up becoming hopeless, depressed and seek to escape by numbing the depression becoming addicted to various escape avenues that lead to a downward spiral.  Oscar Wilde once said; “In this world there are two tragedies.  One is not getting everything one wants; the other is getting it.” 

As I am winding down on the 70^th year of my time on this planet I find myself thinking more and more about what I have done with those years and what I should do with whatever time I have left.  I learned how delicate and tenuous life can be when I was 49.  A fluke medical discovery, that I consider divine intervention, led to two major life-saving surgeries.  My doctor told my wife; ‘this is usually discovered in the autopsy of a young man who appeared healthy but died suddenly’.  I wake everyday with the physical and emotional scars that lead me to the reality that I could have easily died 21 years ago.  I get up, even with the aches that come with being 70 and give thanks that I am still here.  Life is a gift, a precious and very fragile gift, don’t waste it or throw it away!

I spend a lot of time thinking on several scriptures.  First from the psalm of Moses, a man who knew about the ups and downs of life as much as anyone!  In Psalm 90:10-12 he writes; “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.  Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  Life in this ‘sin-scarred’ world truly has much trouble and sorrow.  However, we are reminded that our days are numbered.  We do not know the number of days we have but they pass quickly.  A “heart of wisdom” knows each day could be the last so as Apostle Paul reemphasized hundreds of years later in Ephesians 5:16-17; “Make the most of your time; because these are evil times. So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do.”

I find that the best advice concerning the way to make the most of our time comes from the words of one who is historically known as possessing, perhaps, more wisdom than anyone who has ever lived; King Solomon.  He was not just a casual observer with comments.  He possessed the mental capacity, power and wealth to explore virtually every avenue available to man in seeking meaning and purpose to life.  He writes in Ecclesiastes 1:13; “I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!

He expounds on his qualifications and experiences of his journey in the first 11 verses of the second chapter; “I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.  “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.  I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.  I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.  I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.  I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.  I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart.  I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.  I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

However, his search was not in vain as he gives us the following basic teachings for making the most of our days under the sun. 

1. Make & maintain good relationships.  He writes in chapter 4:9-12; “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  I don’t think I will ever forget the first funeral I conducted.  I was still in seminary when a funeral director that I knew from our church asked if I would conduct a small service for a man who had no church affiliation but the family wanted a minister.  I knew nothing about the deceased except that he looked like he was in his 50’s and even after the funeral director had done his best one could tell that he had lived a hard life.  Counting myself, the deceased and the funeral director there were less than a dozen people attending the service.  Afterward the best dressed attendee shook my hand and thanked me saying; “I want to thank you for doing this.  I know you did not know him and honestly, we really didn’t know him well either.  However, he was a family member and I felt like he deserved a decent burial.”  What a sad lonely ending to life!  I also remember Rabbi Harold Kushner’s story of watching children building sand castle.  He could see that they were building too closely to the rising tide.  They barely finished their construction when the waves washed all their work away.  However, rather than being disappointed he watched them hold hands, laughing & running as waves came crashing destroying their labor.  This taught him that, ‘The castles we may build in life are temporary and may crumble but can laugh if we are holding hands.”  Make & maintain good relationships!
2. Solomon names many injustices and pain that can be part of life in this imperfect world.  He teaches us to accept pain and suffering as part of this life.  The human tendency is to avoid pain & suffering.  We try taking pills, having a drink, denial or isolate ourselves from people and situations that cause pain.  One cannot avoid pain & suffering and live in this unjust, sin-scarred world.   Only Dead people feel no pain!  Pain can actually be a way for God to teach.  Hebrews 2:10 says; “Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God's children to be saved and to share in his glory.”  Wow! Jesus was made perfect through suffering!  Pain and suffering are often signs to change the way you are living.  Rather than seeking to avoid pain and suffering it may be better to ask; “What is God trying to teach me in this situation?  What can I learn to do differently than will be beneficial?”
3. Live and savor each moment to its fullest potential.  The best life is not found seeking continuous excitement and is not made up of great events but daily, often small moments to be cherished.  I am again reminded of a story from Rabbi Kushner (Author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People & When All You Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough).  He interviewed an elderly woman asking her to look back and tell him what she would have done differently if she could live her life over.  She thought for a moment and said; “If I had it all to do over, I would eat more ice cream & less beans!”

Savor and enjoy each day!