Upside Down: Ecclesiastes

Big God, little me

1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

2 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.

3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—

5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?

7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God. —Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Undivided God Seeks Undivided Worshipper

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!

5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. —Deuteronomy 6:4-9

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. —Ephesians 4:4-6

God is NOT looking for people who can give Him their heart partly, while holding the bigger part of their hearts for something or someone else.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. —Romans 10:17

And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags —Isaiah 64:6

The kind of hypocrisy the Bible is talking about is NOT Christians who struggle but Christians who pretend.

24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” —John 20:24-29

Let’s not play Christianity or Church. Let’s be Christians and let’s be the Church- flawed, broken, hurting but willing to throw it all onto Jesus because we trust Him and we can trust Him!