Jump Start # 868

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Our verse today is the last verse in the book of Ecclesiastes. It is a sober reminder that we shall stand before God. There is a coming judgment we all face. That thought alone can be scary, but knowing “everything which is hidden” will also be known and judged can be terrifying. The ESV uses the expression, everything which is “secret.”

Secrets. We all have secrets. Secret thoughts. Secret things that we have done. Secrets that we’d like to keep secret. There are secrets that our family does not know. There are secrets that we keep from friends and brethren. We’d die in embarrassment if these secrets were revealed. There is a reason why secrets are secret. No one knows about these things except you, and God. The “and God” part reminds us that our secrets are not really secret. The “and God” part reminds us that He will judge us for those “secret” things.

How does a person live with secrets? Do you find the one trusted friend in life and reveal your secrets to him or her? What if your secrets are about that one trusted friend? How can we live in peace and assurance knowing we have these secrets?

Our passage reminds us that the things hidden are not all bad. It states, “everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” That implies things which others do not know. They may not be secret because they are wrong, we just haven’t told others about them. There have kind deeds, good acts, little gifts, going out of the way, going to bat for someone that we haven’t kept a list of nor gone around and told others. We do them and go on with life. Just this week a friend reminded me of something I did for him more than twenty years ago. I don’t remember it. It meant a lot to him. Those are some of the hidden things. We fill a lifetime of doing things for others. They don’t have to be huge, but simple things. Helping someone move…babysitting a friend’s child…taking someone to the airport…allowing a friend to spend the night…taking food to someone…write a heart felt note…buying a college kid lunch…driving a long way to hear a friend preach…cutting someone’s yard when they are busy with a funeral or are out of town…giving someone tickets to a show that they would enjoy. We all do things like this all the time. It’s being nice. It’s being neighborly. It’s being a friend. Nothing big. Most of these things we soon forget because we are busy doing other things. Hidden things. God saw them. God will reveal them. These are the kinds of things that make a congregation special. It’s the connections, the love, the care. Hidden things are done all the time. It would be wrong to try to find out what everyone is doing and list them. There is no need for that. Doing that would take away the purpose and joy of those kind acts. They are hidden, but God knows.

Other hidden things or secrets can be evil. It’s those that really haunt us and hang over us like a cloud. Some how we tend to forget the good we’ve done and we remember the bad. Those things drain us and make us feel that we are failures and will never make it to Heaven. How do we live with those secrets?

There can only be one true answer and that is forgiveness by God. His grace is beyond understanding. He loves us and wants us to spend forever with Him. God forgives. God forgives secret sins. The secrets that He knows are washed away. They are blotted out. They are cleansed by His forgiving grace. Without this, we would dread God. We would do all that we could to keep living, fearing death and fearing being judged by Him. Paul looked forward to seeing God after death. He viewed death as a gain. Was it because Paul didn’t have any secrets? No. He had secrets. We all do. His sins were forgiven by God.

Instead of running from God, we run towards God. We love Him, because He loves us. He hasn’t given up on us. Broken as we are, He doesn’t throw us away.  God’s grace is for everyone, however, not everyone will receive it. They must believe God. They must want God. They must trust God. They must follow God. Forgiveness is for those who are seeking God.

Secrets—secret acts of kindness…secret thoughts…secret sins. Forgiven things are no longer there to be seen. Forgiven things are gone. Forgiveness is the only way to live with secrets.

Roger

Jump Start # 867

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”

Our passage today is one of the famous verses from Ecclesiastes. The last chapter ended with some thoughts about youth. There Solomon said to “Rejoice” during your childhood and to “remove” grief and anger from your heart. Our passage begins with the third “R” – Rejoice, Remove and now, Remember.

Two thoughts here.

First, before one can remember, there must be something to remember. Remember your Creator. The plea is to recognize as a young person the work of God. He is the Creator. Remembering God will help a young person. It will help form and build the character that is responsible, serving and godly. Remembering God will help in making wise choices. Remembering God will help keep a young person from trouble.

I am teaching a class about the life of Joseph. He was a young man who had a “God-awareness” about him. When tempted sexually, Joseph thought of God. When asked to interpret dreams, he knew that only God could do that. When his pitiful brothers showed up needing grain, he was in the position to even the score, but he didn’t. He recognized that God had put him there to save his family. It seems every step of the way he was aware of God. That awareness kept him pure. That awareness kept bitterness and hatred from dominating his life.

It helps a young person to remember God when everyone else in the house is remembering God, as well. Remembering God on your drive to work and at your office today will help you. It will lead you to saying several quick prayers throughout the day. It will help you fight lust and greed. It will help you be a person of principle and integrity. Remembering God at home is important. No trash talking the members. No gossip. No bad words. No bad shows. A prayer at the table. Helpful. Insightful. Forgiving. Love. Those principles are found in families that walk with God.

Second, Solomon says “evil days come.” I’m not sure what Solomon has in mind, unless he is generalizing the ugly experiences of life that many of us witness. Childhood seems sweet and innocent. Days are spent with playing and naps and Disney shows and smiles and singing and laughter. Children laugh a lot more than adults do. Children do not grasp terrorism, murder, prejudice and meanness. There comes a point in life when you recognize this. We live with this and possibly this is why we don’t laugh much any more. The world isn’t so sweet and funny. It’s sick and broken. There is a lot of pain in families and in hearts. Evil days come. Evil days affect us. We can’t run from evil days. We can’t hide from evil days.

Our verse ends with this solemn statement, “I have no delight in them.” No delight in days. No delight in life. No delight in God. These are the words of a sour person. Life has slapped them and they are bitter and angry. They spend the day being grumpy and complaining. They see no blessings to count. They see no God to thank. They are waiting for life to end. There is nothing to look forward to. They have “no delight in them.”

Do you know anyone like this? It’s hard being around them. They are like spilled milk. They are a mess. Nothing is good. Everything and everybody is against them.

It seems that Solomon has a connection between the first part and the last part of this verse. The “remembering your Creator in the days of your youth” has a bearing upon “having no delight in them.” The bridge is God. The connection to enjoying life is through God. God has been good to us. He has blessed us, watched over us, opened doors for us, brought people into our lives, offered forgiveness and guided us. Seeing that. Following Him. Thanking Him. Obeying Him. That all changes life. It changes how we view life. It helps us with the evil that comes. God is a reason to live and participate in life.

The person who has followed God for a long time delights in each day. Each day is a gift. Each day is special. There may be more Wednesdays, but no other Wednesdays just like today. It is special. Delight that you can enjoy it. Delight that you can share God with others.

I have said for a long time, the way you start the day often determines how you end the day.  The way you start life often determines how you end life. A young person who doesn’t care about God, will fill his life with things that are not good. He may end the journey with no delight. It’s sad to see someone in their 80’s or 90’s who has no awareness of God. That has shaped their outlook, thinking and attitude. They have lived a lifetime of nothing. They have lived only for self. Now, at the end of the journey, they sit alone with nothing.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Remember is the key. Remember now. Remember who God is. Remember what He stands for . Remember what He has done. Remember BEFORE…Remember before it’s too late!

Roger

Jump Start # 866

Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.

It’s the season of high school graduations. I have been to two open houses already this month, with a few more to go. Graduation is a transition time and it is a difficult time. For many, it means moving on in life. Some will be making plans to attend colleges in August and the friends that have been together for years start going different directions. New friends, new adventures and new places become the norm. Living on your own in a dorm presents new challenges, including exposure to some not so pleasant characters.

The new college student away from home finds many firsts that takes adjusting. For most, it will be the first time that they have lived on their own for any length of time. Mom won’t be there to wake you up, ask you if you’ve done your home work or to pick up your dirty clothes and wash them. Where you drop stuff is where it remains, possibly for all semester. The new college student will encounter fellow students who are irresponsible and wasting opportunities. Some that he meets won’t make it through the semester. Poor choices, failure to study will mean that they flunk out or are kicked out. All the costs that were paid, either in student loans, or by a parent is wasted. The new college student will quickly learn that some in his dorm are heavy drinkers, hard core drug users and immoral to the core. He has been sheltered from these kinds of people but now he finds himself living among them. If he is not strong, nor careful, he can become one of them.

The new college student will encounter liberal professors who are not ashamed to promote their atheistic agendas and ridicule faith in a living God. This will be a new experience for many students. Many new students will hear arguments that they have never considered before. Class after class may confuse them and it is during the college years that many toss in the towel on any faith in God. Evidence is strong for God and for what He says. The new student is peer pressured out of his convictions and many finish their college years by having nothing to do with God any longer. Liberal thinking prevails on college campuses. This is where you will find support for same-sex marriage, legalizing drugs, and questioning of all rules. Liberal thinking leads away from God.

The new college student will not have a parent waking him up on Sunday morning, telling him to get out of bed to get to church services. The late Saturday nights will be hard to conquer. He will find very few in his dorm that attends any church service. Often, the congregations around the college campuses are not what they ought to be. This is difficult as well.

At this point, you might think, this Jump Start is depressing. What bad news. You might think, you sure are grumpy today, Roger. I’m hoping to open the eyes of parents, so this summer you have things to talk about with your college student. It is your job as a parent to help them overcome these challenges. One solution is to send your child to a school that thrives on Christian principles. Not all can do that, or afford that. Another solution is to find a campus that is near an incredible congregation. Pick the church first, then the school. We usually do that backwards. Third, remember that many of us have gone through state schools and experienced the very things I wrote about and today are preaching, shepherding and serving the Lord and His kingdom to the very best that we can. People have come out on the other side with faith and integrity. It doesn’t happen by chance, but by choice.

• If you have a college freshman this August, connect him with someone in the congregation who also is a college student that seems to be doing well. I can think of several where I preach who have just finished college and are teaching Bible classes and have strong faith in the Lord. Put the two together and let them get some practical help.

• Use the summer for a detailed study of evidences. Probe into the whys and why nots so the new college student will be prepared. Read books like, Darwin’s black box and other technical books that support creation and Genesis.

• Before August comes, visit the congregation that the new student will attend. Get to know some of the people there. Make connections. Don’t wait until August and just drop him off one Sunday.

As college approaches, dads worry about the costs. Moms worry about the child eating right and staying healthy. Parents need to think about the spiritual impact this next phase will have.  There is a good chance that your child may meet someone in college that they will marry. That is a subject to talk about, isn’t it? Shame on us parents who do not think about preparing our child spiritually as they go off to college. Make sure your child takes his Bible with him to school. Keep in touch with him spiritually. Ask him about church services, not just, “did you go to church, “ but what Bible classes are you going to and what are you learning? Ask about sermons and bulletins and people and spiritual things.

The college years can be challenging. But with God on your side and some effort on your part, those challenges can be met and this can be a very rewarding chapter of their life.

The summer will go fast, and there is much to do. Be sure to help them get ready spiritually.

Roger