The Word To Live By:3-1-26
Phil Waggoner
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13
The Word To Live By: This was written by Solomon at the end of His life. Solomon was the wisest man to ever live except for Jesus (Who, by the way, got His wisdom from the Word of God. See John 5:19,20). He had untold wealth and political power and the country he was king over couldn’t be conquered. The problem was he realized at the end that none of that made any difference. What made a difference in a person’s life was fearing God and keeping His commandments (His Word). We touched on what fearing God meant yesterday, to respect and honor Him, but as I thought about what that meant throughout different times of the day (I had it written on a piece of paper that I looked at periodically while I was at work), I came up with something really simple. (Quick update: I’m in Phoenix, working low level security for the San Franciso Giants baseball team spring training for a few days.) I was in a meeting with about a hundred other people and the boss of the ballpark was giving us the dos and don’ts of our job. As he went down the list, he paused and looked at us very seriously and said, “Now listen to what I’m about to say! Take me seriously on this one thing!” And it hit me. That’s exactly what the fear of the Lord is. Take God and His Word seriously. Put Jesus Christ in the center of your life and everything else will fall into place. You can chase everything this world has to offer and it might bring temporary pleasure, but apart from God, it will leave you empty and writing a book like Ecclesiastes. My life got good when I began to follow His design for it, His will. I’m not saying that life will become a breeze without disappointments; I am saying that there will always be a breeze at your back pushing you to contentment and peace. “I have come that you might have life, and life more abundant!” (John 10:10). So, fear God and keep His commandments. Love Him with everything you say and do and love your neighbor as yourself. When you do that, your life will not be meaningless but meaningful.
Read through the Bible in a year: Matthew 8:14-34; Leviticus 1-2; Proverbs 19;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 1, Mark 2:15-28, 1 Corinthians 16
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160