Coming to and End

Read Ecclesiastes 12

Finally we are wrapping up Ecclesiastes today. Today's is pretty straight forward, but with a few deep things at the end. Let's to the easy first.

We are all heading towards our end, it's just a fact of life. I'm 23 now, I didn't take too good care of myself over the past going on 8 years, and I'm not like I used to be. I play football with some high school kids and I'm bent over heaving and sore for the next week. I have trouble walking up hills and running around. I'm getting back into shape slowly though. Trying to anyways. But enjoy the youthfulness that you have you can, and keep yourself in shape before you end up like a old guy while still in your twenties.

Solomon leaves us with two pieces of advice before we finish this out. The last, which is the easiest but also crucial to keep in mind, is that all that we do will one day be judged. And we will not only be judged by our actions but also our intent behind the actions. This is a scary thought. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity talks about the Cardinal Sin, the greatest of which, according to him, is Pride, putting yourself before all else; also a form of idolatry. This goes deeply with intent behind actions. If I go to serve to glorify God, I do it with good intent. If I go to serve to bring myself praise and be admired I do it with pride and ill intent. Yes I did something good, but I did it with the wrong intent. God will judge the action by the intent. And you can't use the excuse of "Well I didn't think about it." Then you are no better than the fool. Always have a reason for what you do, and make sure you do it with pure intent.

If you noticed I said that was the last thing that Solomon gave us. There is something before that but it's deep. I'll make it simple though.

Throughout the Old Testament we see "Fear the Lord" a lot. And by a lot I mean like in every book. What exactly does this mean? If God some big kid with magnifying glass waiting for us to screw up so he can burn us like ants? Or is he like some half wit who just crushes us with his fist like we're beetles? (Game of Thrones anyone?) No. God is neither of those. He is the supreme being, creator of all, the LORD, king of kings, the only living God, the only God at all. The God who, if he wanted, could flood the entire earth killing all, again. Could rain down fire and brimstone destroying entire cities if he wanted to. Yes, he his a vengeful God who abhors sin and wants to punish it accordingly. And we being sinful beings should quake in fear of that fact. Yet the fact that he holds back should show us his love, and earn our respect, and we should be in awe of him for his gracious mercy. This is what it means to fear the LORD. To understand that we cannot stand innocent before him and that we deserve punishment, and with that to also know that he is merciful and refrains from giving us our just punishment because his son has already taken it upon himself to take on our burdens of sin. How can you not respect a God like that? How can you not stand in front of him and be full of awe at his amazing grace and love?

So I leave you with this tonight: Know your intent behind your actions, for God will judge them accordingly, and Fear the Lord, for it is only right that you do so.