Life Worth Living

Some thoughts from Sunday's sermon by Pastor David Tebbenkamp at First Baptist Church, Creston, IA.

In Ecclesiastes 1-2, Solomon painted a picture of a life without God.

• The monotony of life
• The vanity of wisdom
• The futility of wealth
• The certainty of death

Ten chapters later, in chapters 11-12, Solomon describes life with God

• The meaning of life
• The value of godly wisdom
• The gift of wealth
• The hope of life after death

Only with God can a believer discover the life worth living. When we try to live on our own, following our own wisdom, or the ever-changing wisdom of the world, we will find little reason to get out of bed each day.

Life is an adventure - live by faith (Eccl. 11:1-6)

• Life is a vapor (James 4:13-15). It's short and uncontrollable.
• We have to live by faith (2 Cor 5:7)

Like the merchant who sends out his ships (vs 1-2) or the farmer who sows his seed (vs 3-6), we can't control all the circumstances in life. We can't wait until everything lines up just perfectly before we act. There are many things that we can not know, so we have to act on faith.

This faith is not an empty hope, but a certainty. So we have to have certainty in uncertainty. That can only be found in God. Certainty in His character, even though we can't fully grasp it. Certainty in His plan, even if we don't understand it at the moment, or ever.

Life is a gift - live with joy (Eccl. 11:7-12:8)

• Rejoice (11:7-9). If a person lives many years, let him rejoice in ALL of them!
• Remove (11:10-12:1a). Remove vexation and pain. Choose not to worry about what could happen, did happen or might have happened. Choose not to dwell on the pain of broken relationships, physical ailments and disappointments.
• Remember (12:1-8). Old age with its increasing weaknesses are symptoms reminding us that death is certain. Our bodies are not going to last forever, so as we get older we should be reminded of the future in glory and the shortness of life.

Only when God is in the picture is there a reason for living. Faith and joy without God are meaningless.

Don't forget!

Moses' sermon to the people before they enter the Promised Land is filled with hope and warnings.

They're headed into the land which God had promised their forefathers. The land will be plentiful. They will dwell in safety. God will be with them and bless them.

But the warning is clear: Don't forget God!

"Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His rules and His statues, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirst ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth'" (Deuteronomy 8:11-17).

God was going to pour out His blessings on them. He was going to drive out the enemies. He was going to multiply their wealth. Just like He had done in the past.

But they were to remember that it was God who did all of that. It wasn't by their own strength and power.

How were they to remember Him? "Oh yeah, I remember God. He's the one who..."

Look at verse 11.

Don't forget God by not keeping His commandments.

Or to put it positively: Remember God by keeping His commandments.

Remembering God is not just a rehearsal of the things that He has done for us. It's not simply saying thank you to Him for His blessings. Those things are good and important.

But evidence of remembering God is seen in our obedience to Him.

We remember what He has done and that motivates us to obedience.

Our obedience to Him shows that we are remembering His blessings.

So are you remembering God today? Are you living in obedience to Him today?