God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

Hello!

Let’s continue our discussion on the secret to happiness.

There is a book in the Bible called Ecclesiastes which discusses vanity- not the inflated pride of ones looks but the description of a  valueless life.  This book helps the reader understand that there is emptiness trying to be happy apart from God.

“For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. (Ecc. 2:25-26)

You may want to read that again.  The verse states that the sinner is given the task of collecting (money) so that he can give his money to someone who is good in the eyes of God.

I find that Bible verse so interesting.  Think about the people you know- you might be able to see this played out in the lives of the people in your extended circle of acquaintances.  For instance, I know a person who gained his wealth in a less than upright way- claiming disability, stating he was unable to physically perform his job so he collected disability and stayed home. Then he began to work on an equally physically demanding job at home for his own financial gain while receiving a disability paycheck. That person died and early death (not related to his disability) and his money was given to a person who lived a humble, honest family life. So the “disabled” person never enjoyed his ill-gotten gain.

The Bible teaches that if you organize your life in a way that is against the will of God, it will fail you eventually. Dr. Charles Stanley has a life principle that teaches about this and it states:  “Anything you acquire outside the will of God turns to ashes.”

An example of this is in the book of Numbers.  The Israelites were headed for their promise land and they were tired of eating manna, they wanted to eat some meat, so they complained and complained.  Finally, the Lord gave them their request, but along with the meat (quail) he sent a wasting disease.  The desire became a curse.  If God wanted them to have meat He would’ve provided it for them. The Israelites approached God with a sinful attitude – an “I deserve this” attitude.

“Now the Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall into the camp and all around it! For many miles in every direction from the camp there were quail flying about three feet above the ground…No one gathered less than fifty bushels! …But while they were still eating the meat the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he caused a severe plague to break out among them.  So that place was called the graves of the craving.” (Numbers 11: 31-34 NLT)

The Israelites could have prayed a prayer that is pleasing to the Lord, something like “Lord, we are tired of eating only bread and water and would like some meat to eat, if it is your will, please provide this for us, if not we will be content with what we have.”

In the book “The Secret” people are told to envision everything they want, focus on it an expect it.  There is no mention of praying to God for His will to be done – just focus on what you want, work at it and expect it. When you have an attitude like this, you may very well become rich and famous or successful like the author of this book, but as we saw with the Israelites, the desire becomes a curse.

The lures of this world are real and very enticing, and sometimes we can feel like we are missing out.  When I feel like I’m missing  out, I remember the quail story and the plague that came with it.  It helps me wait for the things that I want. Discontentment can be like cancer, it can eat away at our happiness and enjoyment of what we have now. If we stay close to the Lord, desiring only what He wants for us, we will never have to deal with major problems related to our desires, God’s gifts are good and His timing is perfect.

As we are coming upon the Christmas shopping season – the season of consumerism- let’s really examine what we truly need. Perhaps we can have a smaller wish list and give more to charity this year. By doing this we may find that the secret to happiness is not obtaining all the shiny new gadgets and latest styles for ourselves, but in giving ourselves away for the betterment of the world.

The secular world can chase after things, however the Christians in this world know that it is in giving that we receive.

God’s Promise:

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Cor 9:7-8 NLT)

Music For Your Soul:

“How Great Is Our God” by Chris Tomlin.