May the mumbling commence!
Look into the future. What do you see? Be careful! Humanity’s future vision is extremely limited. It’s not good to be a betting man (or woman). Hindsight is twenty-twenty, but foresight is legally blind. Read some about this subject of the future from Ecclesiastes 7-10:
Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover
anything about his future. (7:13-14)
Oh, great! I can be happy when times are good; but, when times are bad, I cannot be unhappy and complain. This thought grates against the wisdom of the US society. Note this wisdom: “If you do not vote, then you should not complain.” Complaining is one of our God-given rights! Not so fast! Why should we complain? We cannot discover the future. Trust in God not our own foresight. God has our eternal wellbeing in His heart. Read another passage:
Since no man knows the future,
who can tell him what is to come?
No man has power over the wind to contain it;
so no one has power over the day of his death. (8:7-8a)
Indeed, we have no control over the power of the wind. Don’t believe me? Ask those who were at the mercy of a tornado or hurricane, and they will tell you. Still don’t believe me? I can tell you how much life will change when you surrender yourself to the call of God’s Spirit. Ministry in the name of Christ has carried me to places I would have never anticipated… like Americus, Georgia and Hutchinson, Kansas.
If life is so uncertain, then we must carefully train. Right? That depends on who our personal trainer is. Read another passage below:
I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned
but time and chance happen to them all. (9:11)
Go ahead: Try and predict something as trivial as who will win a sporting contest. All the research and calculations will not guarantee victory. Lady Luck is at the mercy of chance as well.
So, who do I want as my personal trainer? My answer is Jesus Christ because there is no one stronger and more skilled than him. Read one of my favorite verses from Ecclesiastes:
If the axe is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed
but skill will bring success. (10:10)
This verse is a favorite of mine because I see myself as the axe. Fortunately, I am in the hands of the strongest and most skilled craftsman – in fact, I am in the hands of my Great Creator. No one knows better how to use me successfully than my Creator. Praise the Lord! Use me, O God.
Enough mumbling for today…
Peace Out
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