Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV)
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
The book of Ecclesiastes starts by saying that it was written by the son of David, king of Jerusalem. We know this to be the wisest king of all, King Solomon. He received instruction from his mother (stated in the Proverbs), his dad (stated in the Proverbs and Chronicles) and God Himself (also stated in the books of Chronicles and Kings). King Solomon calls everything vanity in Ecclesiastes. That is what the book is all about: that nothing matters. Then, he concludes the entire book with the words of Chapter 12 verse 13. He says that given that nothing WE do matters, we ought to know that only One person is truly in control: it is God! In other words, if we run around chasing different things, we are wasting our time. However, if we take our time to seek God, find Him and fear Him, HE will cause us to do the things that matter. It is easy to live life thinking God is not bothered by anything going on, and even that evil is winning over good in the world. We may think that any crazy thing happening in our lives is not seen by God, but the truth is that God is in control. He may not act every moment in the ways that we hope He will. But that is because His thoughts are not ours and ours are not His. He is not looking to make us happy at every second of every day but to get us to fulfill the ultimate purpose for which we were created and put into this generation. We are all here for a reason. That reason is part of God’s ultimate plan, including to put the enemies of Jesus at His feet. So, be comfortable knowing that God knows what is going on in your life and in the world. However, if we want God to step in at the right time, we also need to be open and ready to receive Him.
Without faith, we cannot please God. But in precedence, we need to know who God is and fear Him. Which of us will see a wildfire, ignore its flames and heat and walk right into it? I would like to believe that we will understand its power and fierceness and not dare go near it unless we have the right training and protective garb. We respect the power of the fire. Yet, because we do not see God, we treat Him like we do our earthly parents or people who attend our churches. Fearing God means knowing that it is by His instruction that the world cannot be destroyed with a flood. Fearing Him means recognizing that He sends His angels out to surround and protect His children always. We have to see God for WHO HE IS. He is a consuming fire. He is the only good One, the only Holy One, the only living God. The God who is able to transform the hearts of man. The God who is able to turn our situation around. The God who feels our pain. The God who sent His own only Child to die on the cross that we may live an abundant life on earth and live an eternal life with Him. That God is the One we ought to have faith in. That God is the powerful One that we must fear so that He can move in our lives like He wants to. Worship Him today for who He is and you just might find Him.
Image Courtesy: Fox News. Wildfire in Northern California
May God teach us how to fear Him as He wants to be feared and help us recover all lost time in our lives, in Jesus’ name. Amen!!!
