relationships (Ecclesiastes 7:10-14) Reconciliation With Certain Hope

(Ecclesiastes 7:10-14) 

10 Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?”
     For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.
11 Wisdom along with an inheritance is good,
     And an advantage to those who see the sun.
12 For wisdom is protection just as money is protection,
     But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom keeps its possessors alive.
13 Consider the work of God,
     For who is able to straighten what He has bent?
14 On the day of prosperity be happy,
     But on the day of adversity consider:
     God has made the one as well as the other 
     So that a person will not discover anything that will come after him.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

It was never part of God's plan that there would be sorrow, sin or punishment.  Although because He is omniscient, He knew this would all happen, and that He would have to come in flesh to accomplish His work on the cross in order to provide a solution.  Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the one fruit that was forbidden, which introduced a legacy of sin:  pride, selfishness, deception, division, destruction, death and broken relationships (with each other, but most importantly with God).

Therefore, now, we all will have good times as well as times where we will struggle.  And all of it will be pointless, unless one has wisely and humbly gone before the Lord to repent and accept His forgiveness and His free gift of eternal life, which is to reconcile with the Lord in order to embrace a close, personal relationship with Him.  This is all a package deal - which cannot be returned, lost or taken away!  So for the believer, our future has a certain eternal hope which comes with an inheritance of God's family, wealth, joy and perfection.

Until we get to heaven, we have this life here on earth that comes with purpose.  While some people lament the past, which is a form of an escape, and other people seek to know their future, which is an arrogant attempt to quash their insecurities and uncertainties, believers are to live in the present.  And as we live in the present, our obedience to the Lord's will is an outpouring of our love for Him, and a result of our ongoing personal relationship with God, who changes us from the inside out.  And as we allow, He continues to work for us, in us and through us, no matter what is happening with us, to us, or around us.  

If and when we are experiencing good times, we should be thankful and enjoy these times, because God is so good!  When we are thankful and content in the Lord, we will not long for "the good ol' days".  (Keep in mind that our memories can be so very selective, anyway!)  And when we trust the Lord in all things, knowing that He knows the future, and knowing that He wants the best for us, and He has given us everything we need to know in His word, we don't have to know what the future holds.  (If we did, we would most likely stop trusting in Him to help us and guide us!)

If and when we are experiencing struggles and challenges, we should still be thankful, because God is so good!  We should also reflect on what He is teaching us in those moments, trusting and knowing that He has a plan for us.  We might not understand it right there and then, or ever, but we can still know and look forward to the Lord doing something truly amazing!  And when we are truly trusting in the Lord for His guidance, strength and help, we can be confident and courageous to carry out whatever it is that God has in mind for us, because it is not us doing it, but it is God doing it for us!