And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.  Psalm 139:16

RECOMMENDED READING: ECCLESIASTES 7:1-14 “  A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.² It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.³ Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.⁵ It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.⁶ For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.⁷ Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.⁸ Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.⁹ Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.¹⁰ Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.¹¹ Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.¹² For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.¹³ Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?¹⁴ In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.”

COMMENTS:  Have you ever found yourself fondly remembering “the good old days” and wishing you could go back to them?  Well, what was different then?  Was it a simpler time when family eat meals together and worked and played together?  Was it a day when most of the community were in church with you on Sundays and Wednesday evenings and churches were full?  Was it a time when neighbors not only knew each other’s names but were personal friends who conversed and helped each other regularly?  Maybe because it was a time when our younger bodies were able to work and play and travel without fatigue and limited mobility restricting us so much?

Solomon shows us such remembering’s were common then too.  When war or consequences of a society or community or family turning away from God settles in, then days when community and family were faithful to God and involved deeply in a “Spirit filled Church” will be viewed as much better than today even if poverty was much worse.  Families sacrifice and work to accumulate possessions, including a nice house and nice car and a nice bank account.  Goals and dreams focus on security of a large bank account and many possessions and a secure retirement income.  But none of these things are permanent nor secure because our life on earth is neither permanent nor secure.  When we are old, we would willingly give up our possessions and wealth in order to regain health and youthful strength. 

Christ offers a permanent and better way.  The way of the Cross.  The way of Redemption.  The way of Eternal Life through Christ.   We are designed to live forever but we are also designed to hunger after a relationship with God.  Adam and Even enjoyed that relationship until satan tried them by temptation to give up that relationship with a worthless piece of fruit and the sinful prideful idea they could be like God and make better choices than He does.   That was the sin that separated him from God.  The sin that satan uses to separate us from God too.  The Cross is what bridges that separation and provides safe passage back to that relationship with God we were designed to have and back to the Eternal Life God intended and still intends for us to have.  The closer relationship we are in with Him, the looser we hold on to possessions or strive to acquire. 

We are living in time that are not as good as in previous generations.  Not because of wars because terrible wars were fought in previous generations.  Not because people are poorer now, but much of the world is in deep poverty.  What makes today worse is the great turning away from God, resulting in immorality and abandonment of family and marriage and commandments God instituted and established as the foundation of society.  Evil is judged as good and good as evil is becoming more a reality each day.  Yet access to God’s Word is better than any time in history. 

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

Yes, we are living in a time when being a Christ follower is becoming less and less popular and persecution is getting worse.  We are also living in exciting times as Christ’s return approaches.  We also need to prepare for that persecution realizing we will not face such alone.  The Holy Spirit that gave first century Christians joy and peace and confident hope in the midst of horrible persecution is also available to help us the same way.  Spending time in prayer and devotion daily privately with God and with other believers is how our faith gets stronger and our relationship with God becomes stronger.  The closer to Christ we get, the more like Him we become.  The work of the Holy Spirit is God coming as our companion and friend and even parent to enable us to achieve that relationship God desires and we need.  We can only get there if we want to and if we set aside time and focus on prayer and devotions.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and draw you to Christ and to the throne of Grace.  He is there waiting and glad to do so.  When we pray for salvation for ourselves and for family members, we can be confident that is God’s Will and know He will move mountains to answer “YES” to that prayer.  Reflect on those prayers God answered your prayers but not immediately.  We need to realize the ripple affect of our prayers and the connection and impact answering our prayers has on others impacted both directly and indirectly by those answers.  He not only will change others as we pray, He is changing us too.   Then when we go about our day, we are more alerts to His ways of guiding and nudging us to stop and shine His light along the day’s journey.  Sometimes will be more significant than others, but all working to fulfill His Will. If it means praying 50 years before those answers are realized fully, is it not still worth being diligent? 100 years from now in heaven, which will you regret?  Praying for 50 years or giving up too soon?  Maybe we should remember this perspective when get discouraged or when temptation to give up or get distracted is strong. 

What we do or don’t do does matter.  It matters to us and it matters to those we care about and it matters to those we know and who know us.  BUT IT ALSO MATTERS TO MANY WE DON’T KNOW BECAUSE GOD HAS A WONDERFUL WAY OF SPREADING OUR INFLUENCE FURTHER THAN WE KNOW WHEN WE FOLLOW AND OBEY HIM.   We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. “There are no days when God’s fountain does not flow.”   Richard Owen Roberts

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