A Quiet Rebellion - Sunday April 19, 2015
Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:9
I was listening to a sermon from the book of Ecclesiastes at our church recently. I know Ecclesiastes is not everyone's favorite book in the Bible, but it's one of mine. It shows God is fully aware of our experience of Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong") and the futility of life apart from His good work.
The key point was: "Be awake to ultimate reality as you enjoy God-given gifts." We were exhorted to "enjoy the best things in life in restored relationship with the Father through Christ." Appreciation of a gift shows how good it is, how much we like the giver, and how well-pleased we are. Enjoying God's good gifts with simple gratitude is a quiet rebellion against a raging world and against the lies of the devil. Enjoyment is about putting God's genius and generosity on display, we were told. It evidences restoration of His original design, our renewal in the midst of pain, and a rehearsal of what lies ahead for us on Christ's return.
At one point we were told how when the pastor returns home at the end of a long day of work in his lawn service business, his daughter Aisalyn often says to him, "Daddy, you came back!" in great excitement. My granddaughter's response to her father really touched my heart. So did Johnny's concluding command to us: "Take enjoyment seriously. You are in the presence of the Father who loves to give you life." I will take enjoyment seriously, Lord. But maranatha! Come quickly! We long for Your return.
Submitted by:
Dotty Vanderhorst
Cornerstone Community Church
Overland Park, Kansas
One-Year Reading Plan:
Joshua 19:1-20:9
Luke 19:28-48
Psalms 88:1-18
Proverbs 13:12-14
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