The Devotional - Look at the Book #864

by Jesse Abel

 

Thoughts from Papa “J”

 

For those of us who are waiting for the dispensation of the church to end it seems that as the year draws to a close our awareness of His return for the church increases. I believe that our gentile calendars have nothing to do with the Return of the Messiah or the end of the world as humanly may predict, the latest example; the Mayan Calendar. Acts 1:7-8

 

Good Morning

 

“Vanity of vanities” says the Preacher; Vanity of vanities, all vanity – Ecclesiastes 1:2. Have you ever given consideration to what Solomon the son of King David is saying? Over the years of study of the Holy Bible I have always returned to this book to try and understand the practical application of living life under the SUN; that is to live life under the natural conditions of the world, rather than the supernatural promises of God’s love.

 

Living under the conditions of practical application is temporal and has no lasting effect, for example; it is twenty-five years since I retired from serving in the United States Navy, in four more years; if I live that long I will reach that mark where the time in the military will equal the time of being retired from the military, (not counting the 18 years of growing up). I do remember much of my military career; but herein is the meaningless rub!

 

It has been so long ago since I spoke those words; “Surface the ship; Aye, aye; Sir; Helmsman, 10 degree rise on the fairwater planes steady course 270, Planes man 10 degree rise on the stern planes, maintain a positive up angle and Chief of the Watch, start the low pressure blower on all main ballast tanks” This is ALL vanity today. While the command to surface a submarine is still vital the words have slightly changed. Twenty-five years from now so too will be the words of today – vanity! (meaningless).

 

So Solomon says; “Take on LOOK at your life under the sun and seek to obtain something from it that is worth something more than vanity.” You will if you are wise find only one item in all that you have done that is worthy of comment. The love you have given and the love you have received in return. LOVE is the intangible GIFT that response to an intangible FAITH and thus makes a tangible RELATIONSHIP.

 

Solomon lays out every circumstance and tidbit of his life under the sun in eleven chapters of Ecclesiastes, then in chapter twelve he says. Remember now your Creator in your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near (less) and say I have no pleasure in them. Ecclesiastes 12:1 and then in verse 8, “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity.”

 

As this year draws to a close, I will finish it out the devotionals of this year with this thought in mind. Our works will be judged by God; works of Righteousness in Christ alone for those who believe God and works of unrighteousness in self alone for those who reject and do not believe God.