Personal Advice from Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10

Personalized, what my Father is saying to me:

Oh, Bonnie, I want you to eat the good food I provide, enjoy your meals. Now is when I will favor the things you do. 

Always dress nicely and fix your hair every day, to look your best whatever you think the day will hold--don't let yourself go. 

I want you to enjoy your life, whether or not I have another husband for you, Bonnie; you've worked all your life, and I'm not finished working through you for others' benefit, either. 

This is the lot I have given you, Bonnie, do what you can while you live, because after you die you'll have nothing more to do with life in this world any more. Make your mark now, while you can. Whatever I give into your hand to do, Bonnie, I want you to do it to the best of the ability I've given you, because you're the one I've chosen to do it, no one else.

Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

"For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

"And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents.

"But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.

"The slave therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.'

"And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

"But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred pence; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.'

"So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'

"He was unwilling however, but went and threw him into prison until he should pay back what was owed.

"So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.

"Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me.

"Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?'

"And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

"So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

What do I see here? Let's probe this passage:

Sin? Yes, the servant's refusing to forgive his fellow servant.

Promise? A scary one: "This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Attitudes? Two opposite attitudes: the lord took pity on the slave, but the slave had no pity for his fellow slave.

Command? Yes: "I tell you, not seven times, but seven times seven times."

Example to follow? Yes, How the Master had compassion on the slave who owed more than he could ever pay.

An error to avoid? Yes, The slave's harshness to his fellow servant.

A Truth to believe? God is always just and fair, and also compassionate when He can be.

Something to praise God for: O my Father, I thank you for your grace and mercy to me. Help me to always and continually remember your generosity to me, far greater than anything I will ever have need to forgive anyone else.

Love in Romans 12

Romans 12: 9-21   

Love must be sincere:  Genuine, authentic, not pretended.

Hate what is evil:  Not who, but what.

Cling to what is good:  Again, what, not who; we cling to God, not one another.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;  As family members, be continually mindful of one another.

Honor one another above yourselves:  Focus on others, take my focus off of myself.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual ferver, serving the Lord:  Do not grow tired and lose my enthusiasm, but remember that what I do for others' benefit serves the lord.

Be joyful in hope:  Keep my attitude positive while I wait on the Lord.

Patient in affliction;  Not upset or bitter.

Faithful in prayer:  I need to be praying every day, not skipping days for my quiet time.

Share with God's people who are in need, practice hospitality:  My home always open for someone who needs it, for temporary lodging or small group, or whatever.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and not curse:  Those who would speak or act against me do not understand, and need to know the Truth to be free of their negativity.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn:  Empathize with what they're feeling and don't try to change them.

Live in harmony with one another:  Not discord.

Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position (or do menial work):  And don't be too proud to befriend those others turn away from.

Do not be conceited:  Get my mind off myself.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody:  It is never right to do evil, so I must always consider my reactions and act instead on my responses to whatever evil is around me, to respond in positive ways that will be seen as beneficial.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone:  As much as I am responsible for, to treat everyone in such a way as to promote peace, to live at peace with all who will live at peace with me.

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath:  I cannot handle revenge--it is so negative it would destroy me. I must just step out of the way and let God be God, for I am not.

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay" (Deut. 32:35) says the Lord:  I can trust God to make sure everyone will receive what is just and fair. 

On the contrary, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head (Prov. 25:21-22).

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good:  This is the sum of this whole passage.   

Obeying the Little Things

Leviticus 16:34   

And just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so he did.

Our Father is the great God Almighty, whose power is so immense that He actually made this whole universe, and His fingers guide the planets in their orbits. Yet His power is also so fine-tuned that He also guides every tiny detail of our lives, because the little things build into the big things, which become the great things. So He gave Moses very detailed plans and instructions, and Moses obeyed every detail of His plans. 

O my Father, teach me to obey every detail of Your plans for me. Whether I see how it all fits together does not matter, just teach my ears to hear Your instructions so that I will obey every detail, not leaving out any little thing. Give me Your eyes so I can see, and understand Your ways; give me Your strength to overcome all the impediments I throw into the path, and the wisdom and compassion to serve others in the ways they need--to serve You by serving others. That all the glory would be Yours.

Sibling Relationships

Luke 15:29-30  

But he answered and said to his father, "Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours, and yet you have never given me a kid that I might be merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him."  

I hear such wounding here, such pain and hurt. The firstborn, the responsible one, never considered that he could ask his father if he could have a party, and resented his little brother getting all the attention, undeservedly in his eyes. He was in competition with his little brother. Meanwhile, little brother, second-born and the baby, would not compete with big brother, but completely left the scene. When he ended up back home again, he expected to be treated no better than a servant. Of course, the Father loved them both. 

"My son," the father said, "You are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

We're not told if the Father's trying to talk sense to his firstborn had any change in his attitude. We can only hope that older siblings will allow their parents or others to speak sense into their hearts, to accept their younger siblings as different from themselves and worthy of friendship within the family. Friends are chosen and can come and go, but God in His goodness gives us family members who will always be family, regardless of any circumstances. 

O my Father, help me to remember this when dealing and interacting with my own family members and others. Grant me to see them through Your eyes, with no blinders or filters.  

Troubles and Joys

II Corinthians 4:18   

So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

O my Father, You are the God of the Universe; You are El Shaddai, God Almighty. Yet You have looked down and seen us, who are made of dust. You steer the planets in their courses and call them by name, and You count the very hairs on our heads. Your love is totally unfathomable to our human understanding; You care for our every need, and generously provide for us out of Your riches in glory. You take us out of the miry clay and set our feet upon the Rock. You love us just as we are, but You don't leave us there; Your work in us is molding and shaping us into the people You created us to be. And all the trials and troubles we experience now are serving to teach us Your ways.   

My Own Understanding

Proverbs 3:5-7   

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.   

O my Father, teach me to not trust my own understanding, even what I think I understand of You and Your word! I know I come across as very confident in my own understanding of what You have said, but let my confidence be in You, not my understanding of You, which would be being wise in my own eyes. Father, keep me humble in my submission to You; that Your glory would be foremost in my life, and that I not promote myself, but You. I know that my understanding of You and Your ways is still incomplete no matter how much I study and find answers to questions that come up; until I am perfected at the time of Your Glorious Appearing, when I am changed and rise to meet You in the clouds, and then evermore to be with You, my Lord.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!