Avoid Extremes

In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that he came so that we may have life, and have it to the full. But what does that actually look like? If we focus solely on making sure we read 10 Bible chapters every day, maintain a spotless church attendance, and fill our calendars with ministry activities every day of the week, will that fulfill us? Or should we indulge in the fruits of the world by throwing caution to the wind as we straddle the line between what is spiritually unhealthy and what is outright sinful? Ecclesiastes helps us to understand that either extreme should be avoided. By only pursuing religious endeavors we may work ourselves to the bone in an effort to achieve a false sense of perfection that can lead to burn out. Or pursuing wicked, or risky, behavior that compromises our walk in an effort to experience all that life has to offer can send us to an early grave. That’s why King Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, said this in chapter 7, verses 16 through 18: 

“Do not be over righteous, neither be overwise - why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool - why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.”

Ecclesiastes shows us that the key to living life to the full is to avoid both extremes. We shouldn’t destroy ourselves by striving to achieve a righteousness that is unattainable, counter productive, or even dangerously unhealthy. But we are also warned against being overly foolish by playing too close to the fire of sin. If we do, we will get burned. In first Corinthians, Paul tells us that even though some things are permissible, not everything is beneficial. And though we have the right to do some things, we should not be mastered by anything. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon explains that the key to achieving this is to have a healthy fear of God. Because when we do, we will be able to recognize, and avoid, all extremes.

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When I give myself to Christian ministry, I always like to see a healthy return on investment. In other words, I don’t mind putting in a lot of ministry work if the spiritual yield is comparable. I don’t mind sacrificing the time and effort it takes to reach souls for Christ if, indeed, souls are being reached. So I choose my ministry opportunities carefully. By seeking God’s guidance, and using this method of discernment, I hope to safeguard myself from being overly righteous and overloaded to my own destruction. But I also like to have fun. I enjoy many pleasures of life that are not in conflict with God’s laws or his character. Even still, I don’t want to spend all of my time on selfish pursuits and waste my life doing things that don’t matter. And I certainly don’t want to drift away from God. Jesus did come so that we may have life and have it to the full. But Ecclesiastes teaches us that this is only accomplished if there is a healthy balance between being overly righteous and overly foolish.

Still Creating

When I read the creation account in the first couple of chapters of the first book of the Bible, I marvel at the amazing creativity, wisdom and power of our God. In such a short period of time, he made everything we will ever know this side of heaven. The complexity of our world speaks to the intricate care that God used when creating our existence. From the vastness of our universe to the smallest forms of microbial life, his majesty can be seen. Typically, I stop at the creation account, forgetting that God has been, and is continually in the business of creating life. David puts it this way in Psalms, chapter 139, verses 13 through 16, which says: 

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.”

Every child, every budding plant, and every newborn animal reflects the continuing creation power of our God. He may have set the laws of nature in place to allow such creation to self-propagate while he sits on high watching his plan for life unfold, but I like to think that he is intimately involved in the process of creating each one of us. Like David, I like to imagine his care and attention to detail applied with every freckle, every head of hair, and every cell in our body. There is Biblical evidence to support that notion, and this portion of scripture is one such area. So I encourage you not to limit the awe of God’s creation to the initial creation account. Marvel at his continued hand in the creation of everything around us, including you, your children and your grandchildren. 

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Every believer will agree that the hand of God is powerful and awesome. He created the laws of nature and physics, time and space, and every biological creature that exists. I encourage you to recognize his hand in the creation process, because he is the only one qualified to manage it. Many in our world do not agree with that statement, which is why I believe mankind needs to repent. We have become wise in our own eyes. Many scientists deny God’s existence while at the same time attempt to take on the role of God. Genetically designed babies, abortion, and euthanasia attempt to usurp the plan of God. There is a story early in the Bible where mankind tried to be like God in the Garden of Eden. We should never forget how that turned out. God is God, and we are not. I hope that you will join me in praying that our world will come to realize that as well.

Power of God

Do you believe in the power of God? Do you believe that he is as powerful today as he was when he raised Jesus from the dead? As you consider this question I encourage you to be honest with yourself. Every so often, I believe that it does us well to evaluate our faith level. And if our faith is lacking, we may need to remind ourselves of who God is. We may need to remind ourselves of what he has promised. Paul encourages the Ephesians with these words in chapter 1, verses 18 through 20, which says: 

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,”

Have you been enlightened? Do you know the hope to which God has called you? If you do, your faith should reflect it. Paul reminded the Ephesians of their inheritance in the saints and the power for those who believe. He reminded them that this is the same power exerted to raise Christ from the dead. Besides the creation account outlined in Genesis, I can’t think of a greater example of God’s power. This same power is alive and well today. We may not experience it every day. Many of us may have never experienced it. But it is real, and Paul reminds us of that. If you haven’t experienced it, that is okay. I confess that I’ve never witnessed someone rise from death to life with my own eyes, and I suspect you haven’t either. But that doesn’t make his power any less real. I encourage you to know that God has the power to raise the dead today, because as Paul says, “[God’s] power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead”. 

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Though I have not witnessed someone rise from the dead, I have experienced the power of God firsthand. I saw a woman miraculously and completely healed from a stroke in a fifth-world country after she was prayed for. I witnessed the miraculous multiplication of food at a feeding for hungry Haitian children that had more than doubled. I’ve seen several instances of miraculously answered prayer come directly on the heals of the prayer. I know the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work today. Do you? If not, like Paul, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe”.

How Long?

We live in a time where we can find answers to our questions almost immediately with a simple click of a button or a voice command to a digital assistant. Businesses have 24/7 online support where we can call or text for immediate one-on-one assistance. We can even order coffee before leaving our house and pick it up on the way to work without waiting in line. We’ve become a culture that isn’t accustomed to waiting for anything. When we have a question, we want answers right away. When we face problems, we want a solution immediately. But when our problems become bigger than ourselves; when we face something that Google or Siri can’t fix, our self-entitlement is immediately stripped away, and we are grounded with the reality that we are at the mercy of God. If you read the Psalms, you’ll see that David found himself in that place quite often. He found himself in need of an answer; in need of deliverance immediately, but was powerless to do anything in his strength. In Psalms, chapter 13, verses 1 and 2, he writes: 

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?”

As I read those verses, I imagine David lamenting not for hours or even days. I imagine weeks or maybe even months of emotional and psychological distress. I can almost feel the depression in his heart growing after crying out to God for days on end without deliverance. I don’t doubt David’s faith in believing that God hears his prayers and will come to his aid eventually. But without knowing when, all David could do was wait and cry out to the Lord. Have you ever been in that place? Has something ever overtaken you that was much bigger than yourself, requiring you to depend solely on the deliverance of the Lord? If you have, you might be able to relate to David. You might have wrestled with your thoughts and have felt sorrow in your heart. You may have questioned whether God would ever deliver you from your situation. If you find yourself in that place now, I encourage you to do what David did. Continue to cry out to him. Keep crying out to him until he answers your prayer. Have faith that he will, and stand firm. 

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I remember watching an insulin commercial where professional musician, B.B. King, says, “I don’t like to wait”. Well, that is something he and I have in common. I suspect everyone has that in common with B.B. King. No one likes to wait. But there are times when we must. The key is to not lose heart. The key is to have faith and to persevere. No one likes to wait, just like no one likes to feel pain. But it rains on everyone; the just and the unjust alike. During those times, believers know that God is the answer. He is good and he has our best interest at heart. We are in his hands. Hopefully, we will be able to get beyond what David wrote. Hopefully, we will learn not to wrestle with our thoughts or allow sorrow to overtake us. Hopefully, we will surrender the outcome to the Lord and trust him.

Integrity

There are a number of things in life that are completely out of our control. We can’t control when calamity will strike. We can’t control the timing of every event. We can’t control the weather and the forces of nature. And we can’t control the actions of others. Though this is true, we can take heart. Believers know that God is in control of the things we are not. But he does leave at least one thing well within our control, and that is our integrity. We are responsible for our behavior, our character, and our actions. In essence, we are in control of our overall conduct. The apostle Paul’s conduct was impeccable. Though others tried to “bad-mouth” him, turn others against him, and undermine his ministry, those who he spent time with knew who he really was. In this, Paul was willing to boast. It says in second Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 12: 

“Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.”

Paul acknowledged that he was not able to achieve this completely on his own. It was through God’s grace that he was able to maintain integrity with those he came in contact with. Even still, it was ultimately his choice. Knowing the God he served, and knowing the truth of the gospel, Paul was able to testify with a clear conscience that his actions and motives were conducted in holiness and with sincerity that are from God. We are also in control of our conduct. We can choose to act in holiness and with sincerity toward others as well. It may help to remember that it may take years to build a good reputation. But it can take only a moment to destroy it. The Bible encourages us to have a good reputation and to be in peace with everyone. But our conduct must be genuine because people can tell who we really are by the fruit we produce. So I encourage you to be mindful of your integrity and your reputation. Like trust, it is difficult to gain, and easy to lose. 

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Do you have a clear conscience when it comes to your integrity? Do you portray yourself as holy and sincere in public but live a life contrary to that when alone? If others knew what was really in your heart; if they knew your true intentions and thoughts, would you lose their trust? If so, I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to help your heart align with your perceived reputation. If you don’t, you are sure to be found out. The Bible tells us that out of the abundance of our hearts, our mouths speak. It says that our true selves will be revealed by the kind of fruit we produce. We cannot carry on our charade for long because our hearts will ultimately betray us. Instead, let us be like Paul. Let us be confident that our conduct is holy and sincere, accomplished not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.