On My Mind...
Do you find balance difficult? I don’t mean physical balance. I’m not talking about if you have some inner ear problem that throws your equilibrium off or some other malady that affects your motor skills, I mean a balanced perspective. I’m talking about the way you view the world or the way you interpret data. It seems to me that balance is lacking most everywhere. One news channel claims to be “fair and balanced” which is good marketing. It certainly sounds better than “mostly fair and hardly ever unbalanced!” Yet it seems to me we mostly choose up sides and take pot shots at each other. In terms of our faith, we are more interested in winning arguments than we are in seeking truth. It even affects the way we understand and define our doctrine. For instance, to say I believe in the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty is not to say my favorite song is “Que Sera, Sera, Whatever Will Be, Will Be.” Such a frivolous attitude is no substitute for the biblical doctrine. To believe in God’s sovereignty is to believe that God rules over all things. It means that I see the hand of God in everything. That does not mean I like everything that goes on. It doesn’t mean that I happily embrace every experience but rather that I have confidence that the will of God is going to be accomplished on the earth. Such a belief does not require me to ignore or deny what is happening around me. I do not wear blinders, nor do I wear rose-colored glasses. A biblical faith demands that I honestly assess the world around me in the light of Word of God.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the preacher, takes an honest look at his life. He takes stock of what he has experienced and what that experience has taught him, but he is doing so - not from his own, limited understanding but in keeping with what God has revealed. Careful observation and biblical revelation bring him to this understanding. His understanding is that life under the sun (life apart from God) is an ugly business. It is a vain, empty pursuit. It is existence it is not living. So, the book is about joy and where you can find it.
In chapter 8 of the book the preacher deals with the power of unjust rulers, rampant injustice, the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering. The message of the chapter is that joy comes from an honest assessment of life and an unshakable confidence in God’s good and sovereign rule over all things. Government is limited in what it can accomplish, ultimately justice will prevail as all will answer to God, thus we are to leave the end of all things in the capable hands of our good and sovereign God. It’s worth considering.
I’ll see you Sunday.
Rod
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the preacher, takes an honest look at his life. He takes stock of what he has experienced and what that experience has taught him, but he is doing so - not from his own, limited understanding but in keeping with what God has revealed. Careful observation and biblical revelation bring him to this understanding. His understanding is that life under the sun (life apart from God) is an ugly business. It is a vain, empty pursuit. It is existence it is not living. So, the book is about joy and where you can find it.
In chapter 8 of the book the preacher deals with the power of unjust rulers, rampant injustice, the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering. The message of the chapter is that joy comes from an honest assessment of life and an unshakable confidence in God’s good and sovereign rule over all things. Government is limited in what it can accomplish, ultimately justice will prevail as all will answer to God, thus we are to leave the end of all things in the capable hands of our good and sovereign God. It’s worth considering.
I’ll see you Sunday.
Rod