Category Archives: Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

Morning Thoughts,

Ecclesiastes 7:10, "Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this."

This morning, much ado is made about how things are, how things were, and how things probably will be.  Honestly, no one can accurately predict future details, and equally certain, no one can accurately remember all of the fine points of the past.  Human faculties being as frail and faulty as they are, our minds are not disposed to retain everything we have experienced, nor are we capable of accurate prognostication, as that exceeds our capabilities.  These shortcomings do not exclude many from trying on both counts however.  Yet, while recollection of the past or prediction of the future can both be done to positive ends, the overwhelming majority of those that engage in both do so for faulty reasons.  The faultiness shows forth an absolute lack of seizing the moment to do what we can right now.  Future predictors oftentimes become procrastinators, while past recollections oftentimes become pine-fests.  Either way, people are spending more time doing less with what they have right now.

When Solomon was inspired to pen this most woeful book, he had reached a point in his life when he had "done all that could be done under the sun."  Whatever his natural inclination desired, he had tried it, and all to no avail.  Everything he found was vanity of vanities and complete vexation of spirit.  When surveying the scene of the tatters of his life, Solomon was inspired by the Holy Ghost to instruct as a preacher in words of wisdom.  These wise words were Solomon's instructions to "not do as he had done."  As he summarizes the book in the last chapter, he encourages the young man to apply himself to wisdom so that when the evil days of old age (that Solomon was then in the midst of) would not be as painful as they were to Solomon.  In my short years in the ministry, I can attest that there is a vast difference between older people approaching their mortality.  When people have lived lives like Solomon, they reach the end with regrets and sorrow for the vanity and pride of their former years.  When people have lived lives like Solomon exhorts us to, they approach the end with fervor and zeal to go be with the Lord rather than think about past failures (though undoubtedly they have had many).  This final scene of life shows us how peaceful the end can be for the child of God that has attempted to live Godly and soberly in this present evil world.

As we go through life, there is always a tendency to wonder about the future and think and dwell on the past.  We will focus this writing more on the thinking about the past rather than looking to the future.  However, the conclusion we hope to draw by the end will also serve as a valid exhortation for those that improperly look toward the future.  Solomon tells us that looking at "former days" with overt fondness is not a wise behavioral pattern.  Have you heard people wax and pine about the "good old days?"  Perhaps all of us have even engaged in this ourselves.  For some reason, we can remember those days and think them better than the day that is before us.  Though quite often those days had their fair share of evil and travail, we seem to think only of the part that was "better" – seemingly – than today. 

For the sake of argument, let us say that the olden days were better than these.  Even if that were true, what does that knowledge do for us?  Does it help in today's present struggle or dealing with the problems of today?  In every case, it does not.  Consider Solomon's early days of rule.  He spent 40 years ruling over Israel, and admittedly, the first 20 years of his rule were exponentially better than the last 20.  In the first half, he served God's people with wisdom and might, serving in splendor while building a masterpiece of a temple for the worship of God.  The Lord endowed him with wisdom like the world had never seen and riches to boot.  The latter half of his rule showed him with many enemies stirred up against him by the Lord for his mammoth idolatry, multiplied marriages to strange women, and persecution of the Lord's prophets.  If there was ever a man to possibly have a case to think about and pine for the "good old days," it would be Solomon.  He could sit and ponder about the days of heavenly favor, and delight in the quiet, peaceful splendor that was his.

Yet, this man knew and understood that thinking about those days – however good they may have been – did not change where he was at present.  The longing for them did not help today's issues.  You and I, dear friend, have not had the roller coaster of a life that Solomon did.  If you had been married to 700 wives with 300 concubines with the majesty that Solomon possessed, you would be world wide news.  Since we cannot compare our "olden days" to Solomon's and he still had no right or wisdom to glory in those days, what right or wisdom do we have to do so?  In point of fact, we do not.  More importantly, the olden days were not as problem-free as we remember, which is all the more reason not to spend our moments pining for the way things used to be.

Now, having established that waxing philosophical about the olden days and revelling in their beauty is not wise no matter what our past may have been, let us consider what such behavior might impede that we should be doing.  One of the children of Israel's problems while wandering in the wilderness was constantly thinking about Egypt and contemplating going back there.  As Paul mentions in Hebrews 3 while talking about that circumstance, he mentions that we should not be stiffnecked and stubborn like they were.  One of the things they did not do was to "hear His voice" and thereby prevent entering into "the provocation." (Hebrews 3-4) Paul's case shows that we today can act just like that.  We can refuse to hear His voice in how we should live and act.  Granted, this voice we refuse is not the voice of power that comes in regeneration and the resurrection (which is irrefutable), but it is the voice of invitation that calls for godly service from us. (Contrast John 6:37 and Matthew 11:28)

God invited the Israelites numerous times to walk with Him and find the promised rest.  We have a rest today that is also promised when we walk faithfully with our Lord.  However, to hear and follow His voice, we need to remember when it comes: "To day."  The voice is not looked for tomorrow, much less is it looked for yesterday.  It is looked for in the day after yesterday and the day before tomorrow.  Quite often when I talk with people about situations and problems they face in their life, I have to freely admit from my own experience, "There is nothing wrong with the Lord's communication, but there is a problem many times with my listening."  When I get stuck in the past and pining for it, I fail to hear and heed the voice of today.  By failing in that regard, I fail to find the rest today that I could have with serene and majestic seasons with my God.

Whenever we pine for the olden days, we admit by such a mindset that we are dissatisfied with today.  Brethren, there is much that goes on daily that I do not like and am quite dissatisfied with.  However, I do not want those black marks of the day to interfere with the rest I could enjoy with the Lord.  We cannot live in the past or the future, but as creatures of today, we should be focused in walking with and talking with the Lord today.  When such a practice is followed, we will find continual rest on a daily basis from the Loader of our daily benefits. (Psalm 68:19)

Does living in today mean that the past and future do not matter?  Certainly the Bible says a tremendous amount about both time periods.  The past is something we should learn from, while the future is where we should anticipate and look for the coming promises of God.  However, our thoughts of the past and future cannot be there permanently as we cannot dwell there.  One thing about the past and future that "should" be the case is that we view yesterday as potentially worse than today and tomorrow as potentially better.  For instance, if we focus on today to make it the best we can, walk with the Lord better than before, and yearn to hear His voice today, we can make today better than yesterday.  If we redouble our efforts tomorrow, we can make tomorrow better than today.

Notice how Solomon terms the longing for yesteryear.  He terms them as better than these.  If yesteryear is better than these days, then the simple cause is that we are not improving daily.  If yesterday is truly better than today, then we have failed to utilize today as we should.  If tomorrow is not better than today, we have failed to utilize that day when it comes.  Whenever someone asks me as a minister how they should read the Bible, I generally use the same, simple answer my father gave, "More."  We should read, study, pray, meditate, etc. more today than we did yesterday and more tomorrow than we do today.  The next time someone says that they long for the good old days, I hope that I am having a season of fortitude to be able to respond, "These are the best days of my life."  As I reflect on the past, I am supremely thankful for past blessings and truly hope not to make the same mistakes again.  As I look toward the horizon, I see that God is already there with promises intact.  As I look at this day, I see that He still stands with us and talks daily with us.  May we listen today, work today, and even better tomorrow.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

Morning Thoughts (Proverbs 6:6-8)

Morning Thoughts,

Proverbs 6:6-8, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."

This morning, for all the rapid, fast-paced items of life, man is by and large lazier today than he was in years past.  Due to some of the modern "labour saving" devices, the physical adeptness of society continues to erode faster and faster.  It is really no wonder that when civilization became less rural that most people's physical activity declined as they were not working in the sun from dawn to dusk.  More importantly for our purposes this morning, the rising level of comfort and bounty in the natural realm has also – sadly – given rise to the increased laziness of a spiritual kind.  More than ever before, people have access to Bibles, ease of transport to the house of God, and plenty of time (from all those labour saving devices right?).  Yet, the accessible Bibles stay closed, church attendance slowly – or in some places maybe not so slowly – declines, and the "extra" time is filled with running hither and yon chasing worldly pursuits.  From this vantage point, the wise man's words of yore ring clearly as ever and still ever new.

Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, calls man to look at one of the smallest and simplest natural analogies.  The ant is proferred as a suitable illustration of the child of God's honourable behaviour in this present world.  While there are probably many different aspects of the ant that could be considered as we go to her and mark her ways, this writing will focus on three aspects of the ant in which we as God's children can learn how to live, move, and have our being in Godly conduct.

The first thing Solomon mentions is that the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler, but even without oversight still does what is required.  Now, we understand from nature that there is an ant that is considered the "queen."  Generally, she is the "mother" of the colony, but she is not micromanaging every detail of the colony's existence.  Rather, she is honoured by the others for giving birth to them, and they bring her food and sustenance.  However, when it comes to daily work, the ant does what it is supposed to do without being told.  Why does the ant do such?  God has naturally given it the instinct to do what is necessary for survival.  And, while it is true that God has set up the structure of natural government for man's good, there is a sense in which God's children have been given the instinct to do that which is right without micromanaged oversight.

Paul instructed Timothy in the first chapter of the first epistle that laws (moral) were given not for the righteous but for the ungodly and sinner.  Though it is good for all men to have laws, the righteous man should not need them.  In other words, when considering the ant, God's regenerate people should see a picture of built-in moral instinct that comes through the new birth.  Paul even discusses this principle when considering Gentiles that lived outside of the Mosaic code. (Romans 2:12-15) Why is it that the people of God know what is morally right – even without all the nuances of the law?  God has given us a nature that is attuned to righteousness.  Whenever we go astray, we know that we have done wrong because the conscience cries out in pain, and the law or moral code only serves to verify that which is already written inside by the finger of God.  So, the ant serves to instruct us to the instinct to do that which is right which He has given to us by His Spirit.  While He is our overseer, guide, and ruler, He does not have to stand over us and micromanage our every action for us to know what is right and what is wrong.

Secondly, the ant moves to prepare food during times of harvest and summer.  Even though it seems that the food is in abundance, the ant understands that more should be gathered to prepare for times when food is not so plenteous.  There are a great number of applications that can be drawn from this, but they can all be summed up simply in this: the ant looks to the future of things not seen as yet.  Our Lord has instructed us not to look at tomorrows when considering the needs of today (Matthew 6:33-34), but He has also instructed us to walk by faith and not by sight. (II Corinthians 5:7) Though we might see things around us today that seem good, we should understand that times do change.  Things do not remain the same.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, we should – in a spiritual sense – store up for the future.  Not nearly enough can be said about seizing upon the advantages of spiritual blessings today for use during the lean seasons of life.  That is one reason why every opportunity to store these things up by attending the house of God and pursuing daily Bible reading and study should never be neglected.

My life has been immeasurably blessed by having a spiritual storehouse to draw from when entering the dark winters of life.  By having rich food to draw from and eat on during these seasons, I have been able to weather the storm more honourably than I have when I have failed to prepare and had nothing to draw from when necessary.  As the Master instructed us, we should be constantly seeking to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven where the moths, rust, and thieves cannot reach them to steal them away from us. (Mathew 6:19-21) During these recent days of natural plenty, sadly we have seen what happens when people live on the "edge" financially speaking.  House foreclosures, credit card meltdown, and general unrest have marked the times of such behaviour.  Yet, if people live within their means and look to the future with a sense of preparation, the ills that have plagued the economic world would be greatly reduced.  Likewise, if God's people utilize the times of spiritual "plenty" we have today as mentioned above, we shall find the going easier if our religious freedoms, liberties, and opportunities are taken away in the future.

One of the great things about this particular analogy of the ant "looking ahead" is what happens when the ant endures the winter times.  With the food stored up to eat on during lean times, the ant knows from the evidence around it that times of springtime and harvest will come again.  What happens if the winter hits and there is no food?  Not only is survival bleak, but the knowledge and evidence that the winter is one day going to end is not as apparent.  When God's children get beat down by the toils of life, it helps to have spiritual food to know that the winter will end either in this life or the next.  Our spiritual instinct should be fed from God's bounty to keep the eternal view and picture in mind.  Friends, the toil of life is going to end.  One way or another, we will get through the winter.  However, we should get through the winter(s) of life honourably in the knowledge that He will visit us either again in this life or finally in the call to come home. 

This vein of thought leads us to the last perspective of the ant that we wish to investigate.  One of the ant's most amazing qualities is what it is able to handle weight-wise.  Some ants can lift up to 50 times their body weight.  If an ant is lifting 50 times its body weight above its head, that is the equivalent of a 200 pound man lifting 10,000 pounds over his head!  Such a sight would no doubt make people stand back in awe and wonder, yet the ant dutifully goes about storing food and carrying large loads at a time.  As God's children, God has given us the amazing ability to handle the problems of life that seem so great and insurmountable.

One of the most comforting verses to me in time of trouble is I Corinthians 10:13.  The verse specifically states that nothing we encounter is bigger than we can handle.  Those things that we cannot handle (like our depravity and eternal destination) have been mercifully taken out of the way by our Elder Brother, but those things that we have to deal with daily are things that we can lift.  If we encounter something in life that is literally bigger than we are, like death, God has given us the ability to lift the subject by understanding that death (while bigger right now than our mortal flesh) is not insurmountable.  He has conquered death for us so that it cannot vanquish us, but also that knowledge gives us peace and comfort when viewing death in our lives to know that it is not the end.  Why is it that God's children can view death with joy and peace?  Why can God's children stare at a crumbling world and still have the fortitude to soldier on in the face of trials bigger than they are?  How do we bear up under the strain of things that absolutely dwarf us?  The simple fact is that God has given us the ability to bear things much greater than we are. (Philippians 4:13)

Friends, I am not going to pretend to know what is happening in your life right now or even pretend to know how it feels as I may have never gone through something like it.  However, I am confident from what the word of God teaches that we are able to handle the situations of life.  Proof?  Consider the ant.  God has given us a spiritual ability to do what the ant does naturally.  When you consider what we have to deal with daily, it is absolutely frightening from a purely natural sense.  Is it any wonder why the toils and problems get so many down to the point of depression and utter helplessness?  Yet, God has given us a spiritual eye that can see the ultimate coming of glory in us to know that nothing now is worthy of comparison to it. (Romans 8:18) Such knowledge sustains us to bear up under the varied weights of life.

When considering these three aspects of the ant, is it any wonder why the wisest man – save our Lord – pointed us to her?  She provides a pattern of life naturally that we should attempt to mimic spiritually.  No matter what comes, we can bear it, and we can always look ahead to brighter seasons of life based on the past occasions with our Lord ultimately culminating in that never-ending season of eternity.  Then, having those two points in view, we can work and labour in the fields we know to be right and good, knowing that our ultimate Ruler has instilled in us the necessary knowledge.  Friends, when I consider the past seasons of my life, I realize just how much I can learn from the ant, and it makes me want to live more fervently and devotedly to the One that has blessed me so much, and who I am persuaded will bless me unspeakably in the future.

In Hope,

Bro Philip