Week of Monday September 30 – October 6
Look Up - Man as Provider
I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. -- Ecclesiastes 1:12-17 ESV
Pastor and author Warren Wiersbe famously said, “Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action.” Admittedly, Solomon starts out with a really negative outlook on life. Solomon’s pessimistic perspective is so pervasive in Ecclesiastes that it might tempt the most optimistic minds to wonder: “What if he’s right?” However, there is one phrase we must not miss: “I have seen everything that is done under the sun.” That telling phrase reveals the secret of where we must place our focus, and it is not on stuff “under the sun.”
I am reminded of a story Pastor James DeLoach tells about a painting of an old burned-out mountain shack and a couple of survivors of the devastating fire:
All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family’s sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, “Hush child, God ain’t dead!” That vivid picture of that burned-out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words “God ain’t dead” keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope!
Men, if we only focus on what we can see and touch and fail to set our hearts on things above, we can miss the mark and find ourselves despairing as Solomon did at the beginning of this book, looking only at the here and now, the physical and tangible, life “under the sun.” He goes on to describe the futility of amassing riches and building houses that will one day go to others when we die. Although there is nothing wrong with providing a roof over our heads, food for the table, clothes for our families, etc., Jesus calls us to a higher view and focus:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
How do we know where our treasure and hearts really are? Where is our focus? Our reaction to financial setbacks and the loss of material things will tell us a lot. When we do experience setbacks and loss, we must remember that caption: God ain’t dead! We must provide an example for those we love and lead that declares that truth, no matter how challenging or bleak our circumstances may look “under the sun.” Your children and grandchildren will most likely be focused on what you are focused on.
We need men of God across America and around the world whose heavenward gaze sets the tone and creates a God-centered atmosphere in the home. Our focus should not simply be on “life under the sun” but on “living for the Son”! So, let’s keep looking up!
Look Up - Man as Provider
I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. -- Ecclesiastes 1:12-17 ESV
Pastor and author Warren Wiersbe famously said, “Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action.” Admittedly, Solomon starts out with a really negative outlook on life. Solomon’s pessimistic perspective is so pervasive in Ecclesiastes that it might tempt the most optimistic minds to wonder: “What if he’s right?” However, there is one phrase we must not miss: “I have seen everything that is done under the sun.” That telling phrase reveals the secret of where we must place our focus, and it is not on stuff “under the sun.”
I am reminded of a story Pastor James DeLoach tells about a painting of an old burned-out mountain shack and a couple of survivors of the devastating fire:
All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family’s sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, “Hush child, God ain’t dead!” That vivid picture of that burned-out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words “God ain’t dead” keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope!
Men, if we only focus on what we can see and touch and fail to set our hearts on things above, we can miss the mark and find ourselves despairing as Solomon did at the beginning of this book, looking only at the here and now, the physical and tangible, life “under the sun.” He goes on to describe the futility of amassing riches and building houses that will one day go to others when we die. Although there is nothing wrong with providing a roof over our heads, food for the table, clothes for our families, etc., Jesus calls us to a higher view and focus:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
How do we know where our treasure and hearts really are? Where is our focus? Our reaction to financial setbacks and the loss of material things will tell us a lot. When we do experience setbacks and loss, we must remember that caption: God ain’t dead! We must provide an example for those we love and lead that declares that truth, no matter how challenging or bleak our circumstances may look “under the sun.” Your children and grandchildren will most likely be focused on what you are focused on.
We need men of God across America and around the world whose heavenward gaze sets the tone and creates a God-centered atmosphere in the home. Our focus should not simply be on “life under the sun” but on “living for the Son”! So, let’s keep looking up!
- What proof is there in your attitude and actions that you are looking to God rather than looking around at all the depressing circumstances “under the sun”?
- Consider the focus you are providing in your home. Is it on amassing more stuff or advancing God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33)?
- Ask God to lift your focus above life “under the sun” to living life for His Son!