Monday, June 7, 2010

A New Covenant Look at Ecclesiastes 3



But in the end, does it really make 
a difference what anyone does? 
I've had a good look at what 
God has given us to do — 
busywork, mostly.  

Ecclesiastes 3:9-10


These words were written long before Jesus came
to show us how to live, long before He gave His life 
and paid the price for our sins and definitely long
before He rose from the dead to give us new life.

There are days when I feel that my life
is only busywork... Endless, mindless,
jobs that only need to be redone as soon
as they are completed. It becomes
so heavy and burdensome.

But Jesus came to give us real and eternal life,
more and better than we could ever dream of. (John 10:10)
While on this earth, Jesus showed us and told us
how to live. He told us that what we do
here on this earth is important. How we live,
what we do matters. It reveals what we believe.
It reveals what is in our hearts. 

I started looking up verses to list here 
that give examples that what we do is very important.
There are so many! The New Testament is full of them!
Our lives are to be full of loving God and loving others. 

The last thing Jesus charged His disciples with was this:

"God authorized and commanded me to commission you:
Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near,
in this way of life, marking them by baptism
in the threefold name: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you."

Matthew 28:18-10
Our lives are important, and what we do is just as important.



God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time — 
but He's left us in the dark, so we can never know 
what God is up to, whether He is coming or going.

Ecclesiastes 3:11


There are things we may never understand.
Questions that may always go unanswered.

And yet, He has not left us completely in the dark!


"But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, 
He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak
on His own; He will speak only what He hears, 
and He will tel you what is yet to come.
He will bring glory to me by taking from
what is mine and making it known to you. 
All that belongs to the Father is mine. 
That is why I said the Spirit will take 
from what is mine and make
it known to you."

John 16:13-15

As believers, we are not left alone to 
fumble through this life in the dark!

We have His Spirit within us to teach us, 
to remind us what He has taught us,
to pray for us in the will of God.

Humans and animals come to the same end — 
humans die, animals die. We all breathe the 
same air. So there's really no advantage in being human.

Ecclesiastes 3:19


As humans, we have been made in the 
image of God, we are not merely animals.
As believer's God places His Spirit in us
as a seal to mark that we are His.
He is our promise that we will 
spend eternity with Him.


"God created human beings; 
He created them godlike, reflecting God's nature."

Genesis 1:27
 

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm
in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of
ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts 
as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

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