Your best intentions can be your greatest distractions

"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42).

Its interesting that although Mary received the greater blessing from Jesus' visit into her home, it was Martha who had invited him in. In verse 38 we read, "Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house" (v.38). Martha recognized that Jesus was a worthy man when she welcomed him into her home and scurried about to be hospitable to her honored guest. She was well intentioned as she anxiously went about making preparations to serve Him. But as Martha was busy serving, her sister sat at Jesus feet to learn of him. Immediately after referencing this detail of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, Doctor Luke points out, "But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." To this well intentioned but frustrated woman Jesus said, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful (anxious) and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

This morning I got up anxious to finish preparing my sermon. Although sermon preparation is vitally important, the Holy Spirit reminded me that I needed to do something even more important than preparing a Christmas sermon to preach on Sunday which so happens to fall this year on Christmas day. As anxious as I was to get the sermon completed, what I needed more was to spend some time at the feet of Jesus. I needed to be with my savior. I needed to talk to Him, I needed to cry out to him and I needed to hear his calm and reassuring voice telling me, "I am with you always..." But most of all I just needed to worship Him--to be still and know that He is God--that he has it all under control. I'm so glad I chose that better part which shall not be taken from me. Don't allow frustrated people that just don't get it, don't allow the things that need to get done, don't allow your better intentions keep from the very best part, which is to sit at the feet of the lover of your soul. Your best intentions are your greatest distraction when they keep you from the greatest blessing of communing with Jesus.

Be not ashamed...

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God" (2 Tim 1:7-8).

In Paul's letter to Timothy he admonished him to not be ashamed of Christ or of Paul who was in prison for the cause of Christ. It appears that Timothy was feeling ashamed to stand for Christ out of fear of ridicule and persecution. To encourage Timothy Paul reminded him of God's love, power and soundness of mind that was his from the Lord. Soundness of mind is the God given ability to think and view life from a heavenly perspective.

It was this heavenly mindedness that enabled Paul to say, "...I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12). The intimately knowledge of Christ that Paul possessed and his persuasion of the eternal keeping power of Jesus enabled him to not be ashamed of Christ. As a result Paul was also willing to lay down his if need be for the sake of the gospel.

Many today name the name of Christ and are willing to serve him when it suits their interest but fail to stand for Christ--fail to stand for what is right when they fear it will cost them something. When we experience Fear about doing what is right before God and in serving the kingdom of God we need to be reminded that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind." In other words when fear gets our attention we need to turn our attention to God. We need to exercise the sound mind that God has given us and rest in the love and power of God. God's love and power assures and persuades us that he is with us, that he will keep us, that he watches over us in this life and forever. Fear will turn to faith when worry turns to worship.

Given to prayer

"Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue...and fought against me without a cause. For my love they our my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love." (Psalms 109:1-5).

The Psalmist was is deep distress because of the adversity that he was experiencing from his adversaries. What made it extra hard on him was that those he loved, served, and cared for mistook his acts of love as being against them. As a result, they rewarded him evil for good. His response to these heart wrenching trials was, in his words, "...but I give myself unto prayer." A wise woman once said, "there is no panic in heaven, only plans." Are you going through an incredibly hard time right now? Give yourself wholly to prayer. God will see you all the way through.

Work for God's purposes not against

"I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD" (Eze 29:20).

In this passage we learn that God rules in the affairs of men. God used heathen nations to judge other heathen nations and even to discipline his own people when they went astray after other gods. Notice also that "though we do not merit anything of God by our service, yet He does not forget our work of faith and labor of love when it is wrought for Him. If He gave Egypt to a heathen king for his service in respect to Tyre, we may also expect Him to bestow a reward on those who have built gold, silver, and precious stones, into his holy temple" (F.B. Myer).

When Christians sacrifice to serve the kingdom of God for the glory of God we can count on the grace of God to work in and through our lives. Work for God's purposes not against them less you find yourself fighting against God.

"The true spirit of Christmas"

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9).

During the Christmas season we often hear about getting into the Christmas spirit. But what most people mean by the Christmas spirit rarely captures the essence of the true spirit of Christ and his incarnation. What most people mean by the Christmas spirit is nothing more than "sentimental jollity on a family basis." But what it should mean is being like Jesus, who for our sake became poor, and not just at Christmas time, but all the time.

Those who exemplify this spirit, "live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor, spending and being spent, to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others, and not just their own friends, in whatever way there seems need" (J.I. Packer). May we live daily in the true spirit of Christmas to the glory of Jesus.

Little energy for prayer little knowledge of God

"And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision...being caused to fly swiftly, touched me...And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding" (Dan 9:20-22).

In the previous meditation we learned that we need to turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God. We do this as J.I. Packer suggests by "turning each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God."

Daniel is a great example of a man who not only knew about God but who knew God in a life changing earth shaking way. And inevitably his great thoughts and intimate knowledge of God energized him to trust and depend upon God in prayer. As a result Daniel was strong and did great exploits (Dan. 11:32). Little energy for prayer, which leads to experiencing the power of God to effect change in our world, "is a sure sign that we scarcely know our God" (J.I. Packer).

Those who know their God shall be strong...

"And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries; But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits"(Dan 11:32).

There is difference between knowing God and knowing about Him. One can know great theology but have very little intimacy with God. Although you can have great knowledge about God and not really know God you can't have one without the other. We need a correct theology of God but not as an end in itself but as a means to growing in intimacy with God. Daniel writes, "but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Concerning this passage J. I. Packer writes, "In context, this statement is introduced by "but" and set in contrasts to the activity of the contemptible person" (v.21)who sets up "the abomination that causes desolation" and corrupts by smooth and flattering talk those whose loyalty to God's covenant has failed (vv. 31-32). This shows that the action taken by those who know God is their reaction to the anti-God trends which they see operating around them. While their God is being defied or disregarded, they cannot rest; they feel they must do something; the dishonor done to God's name goads them into action." Like Daniel, those who truly know God don't just talk theology in a safe environment, they are willing to stand and preach the the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of a hostile society. "Those who know their God are sensitive to situations in which God's truth and honor are being directly or tacitly jeopardize, and rather than let the matter go by default will force the issue on men's attention and seek thereby to compel a change of heart about it--even at personal risk" (J.I. Packer).

Those who know God and not just truths about God are truly the ones who make a difference even in a corrupt and wicked society. In the light of these truths how do we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? "The rule for doing this is simple but demanding. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God." What is meditation? "It is often a matter of arguing with oneself about God out of moods of doubt, into a clear apprehension of God's power and grace" (J.I. Packer).

The Power of Recall

"Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." (Lam 3:20-26).

In Lamentations Jeremiah is dismayed and in grief over the fall of Jerusalem. As he remembers all the difficulties he experienced as God's prophet during a time of crisis, he became despondent and perplexed. Jeremiah has been known as the weeping prophet. But that nick name does not do justice to the kind of man that he was. Yes Jeremiah often wept before God because of the physical and spiritual condition of his people. But Jeremiah was a courageous prophet who proclaimed God's word even in the face of great hostility and opposition. Oh, there were times when Jeremiah got so discouraged that he felt like throwing in the towel. But during these times Jeremiah knew how to get a hold of God in away that God could get a hold of him. Like Jeremiah we need to learn how to get a handle on our emotions before they get a handle on us.

Why was Jeremiah so despondent and discouraged? Because not only was he thinking about the past and present circumstances he was focused on the negative aspects of those circumstances. But notice that his heartache changed to hopefulness when he shifted his thinking from his past and present circumstances to the person and character of God.

Sometimes we view God through the lens of are circumstances and jump to conclusions about God. When what we need to do is view our circumstances through the lens and in the light of who God is. How do we do this?

I. The Power of Recall:

Once again Jeremiah shifted his thinking from his past and present circumstances to the person and Character of God. He said, “"Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…” It says here that his soul was remembering the hard times and it brought him down. But then the prophet shifted his thinking. He writes, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…”

It’s amazing how God created our minds. So precious, so powerful and yet so vulnerable. God has given us the ability and supercharged that ability when we got saved, to be able to recall to our minds glorious truths that will lift us up out of the dungeon of despair and bring us to a place where we experience his hope, love and mercy.

Success in the Christian life, overcoming debilitating emotions, and freedom from habitual sins, all hinged on the power of recall. But this power, although it is given to us by God, must be exercised and developed.

Have you noticed that the list of the armor of God found in Ephesians 6, by which we do battle against the enemy of our souls, are primarily defensive. But there’s one definite offensive weapon that is crucial to our success in the Christian life and that is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The power of recall is energized by the spirit but the Spirit works together with the word of God. But sadly may Christians are not giving the Spirit much to work with because they are not daily filling their hearts and minds with the word of God. Notice what Jesus said in John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

Are we spending time with the Lord? Are we allowing him to reveal himself to us through his word and storing up those revelations in our hearts so that they can be recalled in life’s battles against sin and debilitating emotions? We spend far too much time on trivial things and very little time with the Lord.


II. Focusing our minds on the Character of God:

Notice also not only the power of recall to lift us up and change our thinking, but what Jeremiah recalled.

1. “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed..." (The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;)

2. “…because his compassions fail not…” (…his mercies never come to an end…)

3. “They are new every morning: Great is thy faithfulness.”

4. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

Our heartaches will change to hopefulness through the power of recall and when we learn to shift our thinking from our past and present circumstances to the person and character of God.

III. Preaching to ourselves:

Notice also in verse 24 that Jeremiah was not only calling to his mind glorious thoughts about God but he was also preaching to himself. It’s been said that most of our unhappiness comes from listening to ourselves rather than talking to ourselves.

May we learn like Jeremiah to exercise and develop the power of recall, to focus our minds on the character of God in his relationship to us and may we quit listening to our negativity and begin preaching God’s truths and promises into our lives.

The delight of the Lord

"Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

We live in a world that takes pride in educational achievements, power and wealth. Although there is nothing wrong necessarily with anyone of these things, none of them in themselves impress God or bring God's blessings. We can have all those things, power, wealth and advanced education and slip in the shower and break our necks. All the wealth in the world cannot secure our future in this life or the next and neither can it bring present satisfaction to our eternal souls. Only Jesus can bring eternal security and satisfaction to our lives. "The Psalmist proclaimed, "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want."

If you have been reconciled to God by faith in the redemptive work of Christ, and you have wealth, power and a good brain, thank God and use them to spread the fame of His name in the world.

If you want to boast about something boast in that you know God through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus and live for the things that matter to Him. Love others sacrificially, seek justice in the world and live righteously before God and you will be a delight to the Lord.

Have you lost your way? Ask for the old paths...

"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein" (Jer 6:16).

In his inaugural address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt admitted that the U.S.A. had lost its way. "We don't know where we are going," he said, "but we are on our way." Through Jeremiah the Lord admonished his people to consider the paths before them and "ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein..." The people of God had forsaken the ways of the Lord and chose to walk in the ways of the ungodly nations around them. This road (pattern of living) that they were walking on was a road that was leading them to destruction. And the Lord, in His graciousness brought them to a fork in the road where they had the opportunity to repent and get on His path which leads to rest.

The Lord said to His wayward people through Jeremiah, "Ask for the old paths..." For the people in Jeremiah's day the old paths represented the way that God revealed to their ancestors through Moses and others how to live for and worship God. The old paths are not the old fashion way of doing things. Its not about keeping the pews rather then chairs in the sanctuary because its the old fashion way or because it the way we've always done things around here. The old paths is not the traditional way of doings things or the contemporary way of doing things, its the biblical way of doing things. Have you lost your way? Ask for the old paths and walk therein.

God is watching over His word to perform it

"And the word of the LORD came to me saying, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' And I said, 'I see an almond branch.' The LORD said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it'" (Jer 1:11).

Before God gave Jeremiah a vision, He asked him, "what do you see." And Jeremiah responded, "I see an almond branch." What is the significance of this vision? An almond tree was the first tree to bud in the spring, it was said to "watch for the spring." Using that well known analogy in Jeremiah's day to focus his thoughts, the Lord responded, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.'

Like an almond tree that was the first to welcome the spring, to watch over it, the Lord is watching over his word to fulfill it in the lives of his people. Now this can mean blessing or judgment depending on whether or not we are walking according to His word or contrary to it. God is watching over his word. Everything that He says he will perform. Every promise He makes he will fulfilled. Don't stray from his precepts, stand on His promises.

In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength

"For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not" (Isaiah 30:15).

When the Lord gave this exhortation through the prophet Isaiah the people of God, in fear of their enemies (Assyrians), had turned to Egypt for security. In doing so they not only experienced further oppression from Egypt but forfeited the help that only God could give them. Despite their rebellious ways, the Lord called them to repent of their sin and turn to him again, but they would not. What a God we serve that even in our rebellious ways the Lord calls us to return to Him in repentance that he might deliver us from our backward and destructive ways.

In God's call for His people to turn to him again we find a key to experiencing the strength of the Lord. The Lord said through the mouth of Isaiah, "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." We must learn to get away from all the clamor of this world and get alone with God. Through the Psalmist the Lord exhorts us to "Be still and know that I am God." Take the time to get quiet enough to hear the voice of the almighty and know with great confidence that he is a trustworthy God.

Is the Lord waiting on you?

"And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him" (Isaiah 30:18).

Despite the fact that the people of God looked to Egypt for help and despised the true word of God, the Lord longed to be gracious to His people. But in Isaiah's day and in our day as well the Lord holds back his blessings and waits before he demonstrates His graciousness to His people. What is He waiting for? He waits for His people to wait on Him. After declaring to God's people that the Lord waits to be gracious unto you, Isaiah wrote, "Blessed are all they that wait for him." When we are waiting on the Lord we quietly and confidently look to him for help. We trust that he will answer our prayers in His good time.

When waiting on God remember also that perhaps God is waiting on you to trust in Him, to persevere in prayer, or to repent of all known sin in your life. What might the Lord be waiting on you for before he releases his blessings upon you life?

When facing adversity run to God in faith rather than the world in fear

"Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering (make an alliance), but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion" (Isaiah 30:1-3).

When the Assyrians came against Judah, in fear they looked to Egypt for help and protection. They sought counsel in the face of adversity but not the counsel of the Lord. And the result was that the protection and shelter that they sought from Egypt turned to shame and humiliation. In other words they had run to Egypt to buy protection but ironically they returned to their original oppressors.

Its been said that many who profess Christianity live like practical atheist. And there is no area in our lives that shows that we live like practical atheist more than in our prayer life. Our prayer lives is the greatest mark of dependence on God. How do you handle adversity? Do you run to God in faith or do you run to the world in fear? Woe to us if prayer to a faithful God is our last resort rather than our first and greates resolve.

Lean upon Jesus

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." (Isaiah 26:3-4).

When problems and troubles arise in our lives we have a tendency to focus on and become obsessed with them. As a result we often become fearful, anxious or filled with worry. Its been said that worry doesn't take the sorrow out of tomorrow it takes the joy out of today.

In this life we can expect problems. Jesus never promised the absence of problems. Instead he has promised to give us peace in the midst of our storms (John 16:33). But in order to experience the peace that Jesus promises we must not simply try to quit obsessing over our problems. The more we try not to think about our problems the more we tend to be consumed by them. We must rather transfer our focus from our problems to God and trust him to see us through. Lean upon Jesus.

Can't buy me love

"If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house he would be utterly despised" (Song of Solomon 8:7b ).

Recently, I read of a rich man who stated that one of the sad things about being rich was that it was difficult for him to find a loving companion whose main reason for being interested in him was not his money. He knew that a love that money can buy isn't true love. Therefore he desired a companion that would desire "him" not his money.

The Beatles had it right when they sang, "Say u don't need no diamond rings and I'll be satisfied, Tell me that you want those kinds of things that money just can't buy, I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love, Can't buy me love, love, Can't buy me love." The beloved in the Song of Solomon declared, "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (2:16). In the same way God desires for you to know that he loves you, that you belong to him and He belongs to you. Give those you love what money can't buy, namely yourself. Elizabeth, I am yours and you are all mine!

Solomon's love song

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me" (Song of Solomon 7:6-10).

The Song of Solomon is one of the least preached books of the bible. One reasons why the book is so rarely taught or preached from in bible believing churches is due to its content. The Song of Solomon describes the love, deep affection and sexual intimacy experienced by Solomon and his bride in vivid poetic language. Because of this some preachers have chosen either not to preach on it or to view the Song as primarily an allegory of God's love for Israel or Christ's love for the church. This allegorization of the book, which has gone on for centuries, arose from the belief that a more literal interpretation was unsuitable for the Holy Scriptures. But the Song gives no indication that it should be read in any but a straightforward way.

Although our society has perverted God's gift of sexual intimacy, the fact that the church views it as a taboo has not helped Christian marriages. Christian marriages need the wisdom of the Song to keep the fire of love burning hot in their relationships.

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy yout

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth..." (Ecc. 12:1). In Ecclesiastes Solomon has written about his search for the meaning of life based on an earthly perspective. In others words the conclusions that he has reached for the most part are based on what he physically observed and personally experienced through out his life. One of his conclusions that he reaches in the book of Ecclesiastes was that "childhood and youth are vanity" (Ecc 11:10). He said this because young people for the most part possess much energy, passion and strength to go after their hearts desires (Ecc. 11:9). But if their energies, passions and strengths are not governed by the fact that one day they will have to give an account to their creator, they can end up wasting their youth on trivial pursuits.

Young people want to be free to experience pleasure. There is nothing wrong with wanting to experience pleasure and have fun. God created pleasure. But freedom to seek pleasure and have fun without boundaries leads to bondage. Solomon wrote, "Remember thy Creator in th days of thy youth." Don't wait until the years rob you of the passion, energy and strength that you possess to live for God. Jesus deserves the best of our lives. Remember Jesus when your young. Seek to please him in all you do. Anything less will be a waste of your youth.

Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

"If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie" (Ecc. 11:3).

Solomon likens life (from an earthly view) to falling rain and a tree that lays on the ground after it falls. When rain falls to the ground it evaporates. When a tree falls down to the ground it rots. In the same way our lives on earth will cease and we will be buried in the ground. James wrote, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." We are born, we live and we die. But is that it? Although there is great wisdom in realizing how short life on earth is, it's not the whole story. When seekiing to understand and make sense of what Solomons is saying in Ecclesiastes, we must not only keep in mind that he's looking at things from a worldly point of view, but we must also interpret what he is saying in the light of the clear teachings of all of scriptures. The Psalmist wrote, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" Psalm 90:14). And the author of Hebrews wrote, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

Life on earth is short. But if that understanding is not balanced with the fact that we will all stand before God when life on earth comes to an end, we might choose to live for the here and now and not for the sweet by and by. Solomon concluded in Ecclesiastes that living for all that is in the world is vanity. Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. The great missionary C.T. Studd captures in the following poem what it means to not waste your life:


Only One Life

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ‘twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

"God has created us to be restless until we find our rest in Him"

"A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns." (Ecc. 1:4-7).

Is life simply an endless cycle of events with no beginning and no end? Does life just go round and round with no real meaning or purpose? This is one view of life that Solomon presents in the book of Ecc for our consideration. Many who believe in this cyclical view of life have accepted a philosophy that says, "You only go round once in life; you might as well grab for all the gusto." Solomon did not only present this view of life he lived for this way of life and in the end he concluded, "...Behold all is vanity..." (Ecc. 2:4-11).

Nothing in this world will satisfy. God has created us to be restless until we find our rest in Him.