Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "knowledge"
Homework 101 - Part 1
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s get to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s get to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Homework 101 - Part 2
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Homework 101 - Part 1
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Homework 101 - Part 2
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
H2O and H2S - Part 1
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
H2O and H2S - Part 2
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies it with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word.
A Bible teacher mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more. He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only by that means will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies it with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word.
A Bible teacher mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more. He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only by that means will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
