So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 

—Ephesians 5:15–16

Scripture:

Ephesians 5:15-16 

Why is it that the Christians of the first century were able to do so much damage, in a positive sense, in such a relatively short period of time?

And how is it that these first-century believers, without the tools, technology, and media that we utilize today, were still able to radically impact their culture?

The short answer is they followed and practiced a Christianity that isn’t known by many in the twenty-first century. When we read about Christianity in New Testament books like Acts, we might classify it as something that was radical, over the top, and perhaps a bit on the extreme side.

But for these first-century believers, it would have been nothing less than ordinary Christian living. It is not that their faith was so radical. Rather, it’s that our faith is wimpy. Our faith, many times, is anemic. It doesn’t measure up to the standards of the New Testament.

Christians should differ from non-Christians in every realm, not just the religious realm. We should differ from non-Christians not simply because we show up at church on the weekend or attend a midweek Bible study.

Rather, we should differ from non-Christians because we conduct our businesses differently, we treat our spouses differently, and we raise our children differently. Our values should be different from those of non-Christians. People need to see this in our lives, but all too often, it simply isn’t happening.

Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15–16 NLT).

If we want to impact our world like the first-century believers did, then we have to get back to the principles they applied. It starts with the Christianity they practiced.

LORD, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. 

—Isaiah 26:8

Scripture:

Isaiah 26:8 

Vance Havner wrote, “You can’t break the law of God. Nobody ever broke the law of God. You break yourself against the law of God.

He was right. We cannot break the law of God, but we will break ourselves against it.

How we need God’s commandments today, and how we need to follow them. We can either accept the truths of His commands or fight against them and reap the inevitable results. It’s our choice: we can do it the easy way or the hard way.

We can buck against God’s truths, say they don’t apply to us, and live the way that we want to live. Or, we can see God’s wisdom in giving us His commandments.

In the Old Testament we read about King Solomon, who went on a sinful binge. He rebelled against the truth he had learned from God and decided to sample just about everything the world had to offer.

And having almost unlimited resources, Solomon could build any building he wanted, have any woman his heart desired, and experience any pleasure he chose to experience. Yet after he did all the things that he wanted to do, he said that it was all emptiness, like chasing the wind.

He wrote, “Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT). Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was saying, “Here’s what I’ve learned in life. Don’t fight against the laws of God. They were given to us for a reason.”

Someone might say, “Well, Solomon didn’t know what he was talking about. I’ll find out for myself.” You can go ahead and find out for yourself, of course, but it is much easier to do it God’s way.

In His commandments, God has given us the blueprint for a fulfilled life. He has given us the blueprint for happiness.

 LORD, how great is your mercy; let me be revived by following your regulations. 

—Psalm 119:156

Scripture:

Psalm 119:156 

As Christians, we are either progressing or regressing. We are either going forward or going backward. The moment we stop our forward momentum is the moment we begin our backward regression. It’s the moment we start going in the wrong direction spiritually.

Of course, we all have those times as believers when we stumble, when we trip up. There are times when we make the wrong decisions or think the wrong thoughts. When this happens, we need to repent, of course. But we also need revival and refreshment in our spiritual lives. And there’s refreshing power in the Word of God.

The psalmist David wrote, “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7 NLT).

If we want to be growing Christians, then we need to be Bible-studying Christians. We want to build our lives on Christ and His Word.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave this summary statement: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock” (Matthew 7:24–25 NLT).

Every life will be tested. Every one of us will face storms as followers of Jesus. So, let’s make sure that we build on the right foundation, which is a relationship with Jesus Christ. But we must also study the Word of God. As we read, study, memorize, and dig into the Bible, it will refresh us spiritually.

Don’t build your Christian life on experience. Don’t build it on fickle emotions. Rather, build your life on Jesus Christ and God’s Word.

 Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips. 

—Psalm 141:3

Scripture:

Psalm 140:3 

Have you ever noticed that God gave us one mouth and two ears? Perhaps it’s because He wants us to listen more and speak less. How often we will jump to conclusions and pass judgment in a situation.

Yet the Bible says, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish” (Proverbs 18:13 NLT).

Sometimes we’ll hear a rumor and immediately conclude that it’s true. Instead, it would be better to say something like this: “I don’t know whether that necessarily would be true. What if it’s a complete lie? Let’s go ask that person about it.” You just might stop a rumor or put an end to gossip.

But how often we will pass a rumor on as though it were the truth. As a result, we can be guilty of slandering another person.

James 1:19 tells us, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (NLT).

David’s enemies lied about his character, and he wanted to be sure he didn’t make the same mistake they did. In Psalm 140 we read his laments over the lying tongues of others. But in the psalm that follows, we read how David recognized the danger of his own tongue.

He prayed, “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips” (Psalm 141:3 NLT). That is something every one of us should pray daily.

David was essentially saying, “I can’t stop other people from lying about me, but I will not do it to them. I will not be guilty of it. But I need Your help, Lord. I can’t do this in my own strength.”

One little rumor, one little statement about someone that comes from our lips could inflict terrible damage. Don’t let that happen. Ask God to guard your lips.

Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips. 

—Psalm 140:3

Scripture:

Psalm 140:3 

If we were to list the ten worst sins that we could think of, how many of us would put gossip on the list? Yet when God identified seven of the things that He hates, He included, by implication, the sin of gossip or misusing our words.

In Proverbs 6 we read, “There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family” (verses 16–19 NLT).

At one time or another, we all have felt the bitter sting of gossip in our lives. Someone told a lie or passed along a story about us that simply wasn’t true.

The psalmist David lamented those who gossiped about him and lied about his character. It obviously was a source of great pain to him because he prayed, “O Lord, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent, those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long. Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips” (Psalm 140:1–3 NLT).

We are living in a wicked, vicious time. It appears that people have an unhealthy appetite for gossip.

David was saying, “Deliver me from people like this, Lord.” That’s because he was facing a carefully planned campaign of slander and lies.

So, what did David do with this concern? We find the answer in Psalm 140:6: “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my God!’ Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy!” (NLT).

David cast his burden on the Lord. Are you burdened today? Is someone or something troubling you? Cast it on the Lord.

Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. 

—Psalm 90:2

Scripture:

Psalm 90:2 

As Christians we can’t say, “I was really lucky today” or “I guess that was just dumb luck” or “Qué será, será, whatever will be, will be.”

For the child of God, there is no such thing as dumb luck. There is no qué será, será.

God has a plan—a design, a purpose, and a strategy—for the lives of His children. We may not see His plan, but God sees it. And He always has seen it.

Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, . . . and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:8 NLT).

God’s thoughts toward us are different from ours. They are perfect. They are never haphazard. God hates sin, but He loves us “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).

The next time the devil whispers in your ear that God’s designs for you are evil, remember the words of Jeremiah 29:11: “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’ ” (NLT).

We could translate the word “future” from this verse several ways, including “an expected end,” “things hoped for,” and “outcome.” God has a wonderful future in store for us.

Now, we may not know what God has in mind for us, but He knows. At the moment, our lives may not be going as we expected. They are not progressing according to our schedules. We might say, “God must have forgotten about me. He has abandoned me.”

No, God has a plan. We are works in progress. We are under construction. He isn’t finished yet. We only see the beginning, but God sees the end from the beginning. And one day it all will come into focus.

 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. 

—Psalm 139:11–12

Scripture:

Psalm 139:11–12 

For a sweltering twenty-five hours in July, 1977, New York City experienced a power outage. Thousands of New Yorkers poured into the streets to loot and burn the city. Roving bands of men, women, and children pulled down steel grills and shutters from storefronts and shattered glass windows, hauling away everything they could carry.

Others started fires. First responders fought more than one thousand blazes, and false alarms served as decoys while people ravaged the city. Over the course of the blackout, looters plundered 1,600 stores.

Most of the people involved showed no regret, except for having been caught.

People sometimes assume that darkness covers everything and that God doesn’t see in the dark. Somehow they think when the lights are off, no one will see. But God sees. Darkness is like daytime to Him. Nothing escapes His attention. There are no secrets with Him.

A friend of mine has a pair of night vision binoculars. We went into his backyard one night when it was pitch-dark. But when I looked through his binoculars, I could see everything. It was amazing.

In the same way, God sees everything. And He knows everything, even in the darkness.

Darkness doesn’t separate us from God. David wrote in the psalms, “I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you” (Psalm 139:11–12 NLT). There is no escaping His presence.

God sees us and loves us. Romans 8:38 tells us, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (NLT).

Nothing will separate us from God. Isn’t that great to know? God is everywhere.

 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 

—Colossians 3:16

Scripture:

Colossians 3:16 

For seven years, American pilot Howard Rutledge was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. In his memoir, he wrote that on his first New Year’s Day of captivity, he made three resolutions that he repeated each year.

First, he would try never to be cold again. Second, he would try never to be hungry again. And third, he would never be without the Bible again.

He wanted the Bible ingrained in his mind and engraved on his heart.

It’s interesting how our priorities can change. That’s why Bible memorization is so important. We have only so much room in our minds. Just as computers have a specific amount of memory to hold information, we have only so much memory in the minds that God has given us.

So many of us know the latest gossip about Hollywood celebrities, or we can recite sports statistics or other interesting facts. But are we taking the time to fill our minds with the Word of God? When we get God’s Word into our minds, it will stay with us forever. And when we’re tempted, we’ll have it to recall and use.

For instance, when the devil temped Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus defended Himself again and again with the Scriptures. And the apostle Paul referred to God’s Word as “the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17).

The psalmist wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11 NLT). This is essentially saying that our hearts will be kept by God’s Word because we keep God’s Word in our hearts.

Let’s not waste our memory banks. Let’s fill them with important information. It’s great to carry the Bible in your pocket, backpack, or purse. It’s also great to have it on your phone. But the best place to carry the Bible is in your heart.

 Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. 

—Psalm 119:2–3

Scripture:

Psalm 119:2–3 

When Potiphar’s wife tried to tempt Joseph, it was his love for God that functioned as a deterrent. It kept him from sinning. Joseph said, “How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God” (Genesis 39:9 NLT).

When we keep God’s commandments, we should keep them with all our hearts because we love God. We should want to keep them.

Of course, the devil will try to stop us from walking according to God’s commands. He will set traps for us and try to trip us up. He wants to keep us from living holy and happy lives.

Some people see God’s laws as restrictive, as things that prevent them from really enjoying life. However, His commands protect us from the things that can harm us. And keeping His commands is the way to live life to its fullest. Therefore, the law is something that we should want to keep.

The psalmist wrote, “Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts” (Psalm 119:2 NLT). A few verses later we read, “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word” (verse 9 NLT).

I think we all recognize that young people today are facing some serious temptations. But this principle also applies to every Christian. If you want to live a clean life, you must obey the Word of God.

This means not just reading the Bible but doing what it says. As someone pointed out, “It is not how you mark your Bible; it’s how your Bible marks you.”

Read God’s Word with a desire to apply it to your life. It’s attention with intention. If you will apply yourself wholly to the Scriptures and apply the Scriptures wholly to yourself, it will have an impact on your life.

Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? 

—Psalm 85:6

Scripture:

Hebrews 12:11 

No country lasts forever. Rome once was the reigning superpower on earth, with the most powerful military anywhere. But before Rome collapsed externally, it collapsed internally.

In The Complete Story of Civilization Historian Will Durant said of Rome, “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within. The essential causes of Rome’s decline lay in her people, her morals, her class struggle, her failing trade, her bureaucratic despotism, her stifling taxes, her consuming wars.” 

The difference between Rome and the United States is that we initially built this nation on a Judeo-Christian foundation. But we have strayed dramatically from the original vision of our Founding Fathers that produced this place we call the United States of America.

I think we would do well to look at the soul of our nation right now. What once was freedom of religion seems to have become freedom from religion. Our society has succeeded in getting God out of our schools, out of our sporting events, out of our public places, and out of our workplaces.

But here’s what we need to remember. The freedom we enjoy today is built on the foundation of absolute truth. And when you remove that foundation, this freedom actually can turn into anarchy.

People in our nation are saying they don’t like the idea of things that are right and things that are wrong. They don’t want to live by those standards anymore. Instead, they want to live according to moral relativism so they can choose their own truths.

The United States of America, like every other nation on earth, has its days numbered. We need divine intervention. We need God’s help. My belief about the future of our nation is that we have two choices before us: one is judgment and the other is revival.

If we do not have revival, then I think judgment is inevitable.

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 

—Hebrews 12:11

Scripture:

Hebrews 12:11 

I’ve flown in a lot of different planes, from big ones to very small ones. And something that all planes have is a warning system that alerts the pilot when something is going wrong.

In the same way, if you’re a child of God, then you will sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit when you begin to cross a line. Your conscience is the warning system God has built within you.

We find the infrastructure for our beliefs in the pages of Scripture, and God’s Holy Spirit works through our conscience to give us a sense of what is right and wrong. Thus, when we begin to do something that isn’t right, the Holy Spirit, through our conscience, tells us that it’s wrong.

Additionally, because we’re God’s children, the Bible says that God will discipline us. So, when we start to go astray, when we do something that is wrong, the Holy Spirit is there, lovingly yet firmly saying, “Don’t do that.”

But here’s the problem. If you’re not a believer, then you won’t sense any conviction at all. You will go out and do whatever you want to do, and your heart will be so hardened that you won’t even care.

Here’s what the Bible says about this: “If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all” (Hebrews 12:8 NLT).

If there is something you’ve been doing that you know is wrong, if God’s Holy Spirit has been telling you to stop but you’ve found a way to justify it, then I have one word for you: repent.

To repent means to change your direction. Stop doing what you’re doing, because if you don’t stop, your heart will grow more and more hardened. God is warning you for your own good.

‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 

—Matthew 22:37–38

Scripture:

Matthew 22:37-38 

When the Pharisees were trying to set a trap for Jesus, they asked Him this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” (Matthew 22:36 NLT).

Jesus told them, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (verses 37–38 NLT).

In our culture when we speak of the heart, we’re generally referring to our emotions. For instance, we might say, “My mind is telling me one thing, but my heart is telling me another.”

So, what did Jesus mean when He said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind”?

Is this saying that we should merely do this from our emotions and disengage our intellect? No. In the original language, the heart refers to the core of a person’s being. The soul refers to what we would call emotion. And the mind refers to intellectual vigor and determination.

Therefore, our love for the Lord should be intelligent, feeling, and willing. Notice that God wants all three.

However, some may love the Lord with all their minds but not with all their souls. They believe certain things to be true, but they are not emotionally engaged. There are others who love God with all their souls but not all their minds. They relate to God emotionally, but they don’t fill their minds with God’s Word.

The Bible calls for balance. It’s telling us to love God with every fiber of our beings. We love Him with our intellectual ability, our emotional passion, and our strength. We should love God with everything we have.

 Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. 

—Psalm 119:1

Scripture:

Psalm 119:1 

When it comes to spiritual pursuits, many people put in the bare minimum. They will engage in spiritual things only when it’s necessary, generally during a crisis.

When everything is going well, when the sky is blue, the sun is out, and the birds are singing, they don’t really have a thought about God. But when a crisis hits, when the storm clouds gather, suddenly they are calling on the Lord out of necessity.

Some people pray only in a time of crisis or when they think of it. They read the Bible only when they have time. But that is not the way to live.

The Bible says, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1 NLT). God’s commands are not something we should fear or shun. Yet some Christians say, “I’m not under the law; I’m under grace.”

In a sense that’s true. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the curse of the law, which we are unable to keep in our own strength. But let’s also remember that Jesus said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (Matthew 5:17 NLT).

We don’t keep the law to earn God’s approval. But it also doesn’t mean that we disregard it. It doesn’t mean that we can do whatever we want. The principles of the law certainly still apply in our lives.

Instead of being a list of rules that were basically unobtainable for us in our own strength, God’s laws are now written on the fleshly tablets of our hearts, as Scripture says (see 2 Corinthians 3:3). They become our delight. They become our joy. And we obey them because it’s our desire to do so.

Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. 

—Psalm 119:2

Scripture:

Psalm 119:2 

Before I committed my life to Christ, I thought that Christians lived the most boring lives on earth. I saw Christianity as a list of things that you could not do. My perception was that Christians hung out with dull people and spent their time praying and singing songs. In a nutshell, I thought Christianity was no fun.

When a lot of people think about the way of following Jesus Christ, the way of obedience, they foresee misery and restrictions. Most nonbelievers view the Christian life as one of gloom and, worst of all, boredom.

However, after becoming a Christian, I discovered the opposite was true. My priorities changed. And I found that the holy way—the godly way, the way of obedience—is in reality the happy way.

We see in Psalm 119, as well as in other places in Scripture, that happiness is always connected to holiness. And we also find that happiness is not something that we should seek outright. Pursuing happiness, in and of itself, generally is a futile search. Rather, happiness is a result of seeking something else.

Speaking about God, the psalmist wrote, “Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts” (Psalm 119:2 NLT).

There are two ways that we can live our lives: the right way and the wrong way. There are two paths that we can take: the narrow road that leads to life or the broad way that leads to destruction (see Matthew 7:13–14). And there are two foundations that we can build on: the solid rock or sinking sand (see Matthew 7:24–27).

As a result, we will live either the holy and happy way or the miserable and unholy way. Everything we need in life to be happy, everything we need to be fulfilled, is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 

—Galatians 6:9

Scripture:

Galatians 6:9 

In many ways, people mock us and deride us for our beliefs as Christians. They accuse us of things that simply aren’t true because we stand up for our principles.

Just remember that we are not home yet. One day Jesus will welcome us home, and we will hear the words “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 5:21 NLT).

That is why the Bible reminds us, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).

I remember hearing the late Alan Redpath talk about a message he heard many years ago when he was a young accountant. The speaker was talking about having a saved soul but a lost life. In other words, it is possible for us to be saved and forgiven of our sin yet waste our lives by not serving the Lord.

Redpath kept thinking about the words “saved soul, lost life,” and he ultimately made a commitment to the Lord. He prayed, “Lord, I want to serve You. I don’t bring a lot to the table, but what I have is now Yours.”

Some Christians are basically throwing their lives away and living for themselves. Maybe that describes you. And maybe you think it’s too late and that God could never use you.

It isn’t too late for you to recommit your life to God and say, “Lord, I want my life to make a difference. You have given me something to do. You have given me certain abilities and talents, and I want to serve You. Whatever role You have for me, I want to be a part of what You’re doing.”

Don’t waste your life. If you will step forward and make yourself available, God will help you do what He has called you to do.

The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 

—1 Corinthians 3:8

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 3:8 

In the Old Testament we find an account of David and his men who were returning home after God gave them success in battle. Some of the men had stayed behind and watched their equipment and supplies, and the men who had engaged in the fighting didn’t want to share the spoils with the others.

However, David told them, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment” (1 Samuel 30:23–24 NLT).

Whether God has called you to a ministry where people see you or to a ministry where you support others who are seen, God will bless you and reward you in that final day.

Maybe you think that your life isn’t really making a difference or that what you have offered to God doesn’t mean much. But you will be in for some surprises in Heaven because what seems of little value on earth will be of great value in Heaven.

I read about a man who was cleaning out his attic and found an old blue-and-white vase. He decided to take it to an auction and sell it, thinking he might get, at best, perhaps $100 for it. But to his utter amazement, the vase sold for $324,000. The buyer recognized it as an original piece from the Ming dynasty.

What may not seem to be valuable now will be worth more later. We all have gifts that God has entrusted to us. What we need to do is be faithful with what God has called us to do.

 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 

—1 Corinthians 12:27

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 12:27 

When Pastor Chuck Smith was helping our church start our ministry of large-scale evangelistic events, he was willing to take the role of a servant to help it happen.

I remember saying to him, “It’s a great quality that you have always given an opportunity for others to be used by God, and you were willing to stand back and let that happen.” He was always willing to push others forward because his goal was to see God glorified.

Think of what can happen if every Christian were to take that attitude. We should be able to rejoice when God is working in another person’s life.

Yet we may see God bless someone in a tangible way, and we don’t think it’s fair. Maybe God begins to bless and use a certain individual, and we say, “Lord, wait a second. I have faithfully served You all these years. But this Johnny-come-lately pops up, and You’re blessing this person instead of me. It isn’t fair! I’m so much godlier than they are. I’m more committed than they are. And most of all, I’m humbler than they are.”

However, we should rejoice that God is being glorified and that the gospel is being preached.

Speaking about the body of Christ, the church, the apostle Paul wrote, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:26–27 NLT).

We need to guard against the petty jealousy and rivalry that we can so easily fall into. If God lifts up one of us and blesses us, we should rejoice. It doesn’t have to be you or me. What’s important is that God is the One who’s receiving the glory.

So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. 

—Ecclesiastes 1:17

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 1:17 

J. Robert Oppenheimer, a brilliant physicist, was head of the Los Alamos Laboratory, which developed the atomic bomb. He also directed the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.

Yet the year before he died, he said this about his accomplishments: “They leave on the tongue only the taste of ashes.”

We celebrate our dramatic advances in science and technology, and they are breathtaking to say the least. We live in a technologically advanced age, and we truly have become a global village. Still, it seems that all this technology has numbed our souls a little bit more. That’s because we have pursued knowledge without God.

Solomon came to the same conclusion. He wrote, “So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow” (Ecclesiastes 1:17–18 NLT).

If intellectualism alone were the key to purpose and fulfillment, then our college campuses would be bastions of peace and purpose. However, on the campuses of secular universities today we can find the most bizarre, aberrant ideas available. We also can see the emptiness of academic pursuit without God.

I would even say this lack of belief in God, which comes from many of our colleges and universities, has led to the moral breakdown in our country today. Now our young people are taught they are not created in the image of God. And then we’re surprised when people who believe they have evolved from animals go out and act like them.

Of course, the pursuit of knowledge and a good education is noble and valuable. But if in that pursuit we leave God out, then it indeed will be an empty one.

 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 

—Romans 8:20–21

Scripture:

Romans 8:20–21 

Some people dedicate their lives to acquiring possessions. Others dedicate their lives to getting the finest education available. And still others dedicate their lives to romantic relationships.

But ultimately they will discover that if they forget about God in their pursuits, it will result in something called emptiness. Take it from an expert, Solomon, who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Solomon knew about these things firsthand. He went on a quest, almost treating it as a research project. He decided to try everything the world had to offer. He wouldn’t merely read about it or take someone else’s word for it. He would experience it personally. He was on a search for truth.

Really, all of humanity is on a quest as well. We’re searching for that something more in life. When God created us, He wired us that way.

The Bible says that God “has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT).

This simply means there is something in the heart of every person, uniquely created in the image of God, that knows something more is out there.

Romans 8:20 tells us, “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse” (NLT). Or, as the New King James Version puts it, “The creation was subjected to futility.”

Benjamin Disraeli, a nineteenth-century British prime minister, concluded, “Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.” There is something in us that this earth can never satisfy. That is why there are so many miserable successful people.

As Solomon so wisely observed, just as death and destruction are never satisfied, human desire is never satisfied. We are designed to know God and live above the mundane existence that we call life. The answer to all our questions is found in a relationship with God.