We Are Precious to Him

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Lk 12:6-7)

It is impossible for us to truly grasp how well God knows us and how much he loves us. He knows us completely. Nothing is hidden (v2). Jesus expresses this by saying the hairs of our head are numbered, a task that seems humanly impossible. Today we would say he knows every atom or cell in our bodies. Even though he knows us so well he still loves us. I do not think that would be true of any human who knew me that well. There are limits to our love, but not to his! Jesus further tells us that he knows and values every sparrow, so how much must he value us? Don’t be afraid! If God loves us that much and knows us that well, what reason do we have to fear? Lord, when I am afraid it is as though I doubt you. Forgive me for my fear and lack of faith. I know that you are God and I trust in your love. Amen.

The Father's Delight

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Lk 11:9-10)

This is such as simple and marvelous promise; no wonder it has been a favorite through all generations. Yet my cynical mind immediately begins to think of exceptions, conditions and limitations, so that it is robbed of its impact. It is as though I am afraid to get my hopes up. Yet this morning I decided to let the simple thrill of this verse wash over me. Do we really have a Father who loves us this much? Yes we do. He will not answer us reluctantly, like the friend in the parable who had already gone to bed (v7). No, our heavenly Father delights to give us good things, if only we will ask. Lord, I know that you desire to give us good things. When we ask for a fish you will not give us a snake (v11). When we ask for a snake, you will not give us one either. You desire to bless us! Help me to grasp that truth at the deepest level of my being.

Go and Do Likewise

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Lk 10:36-37)

How much do I bestir myself to help those around me? Oh, I might help a family member or a friend. But there are needy people all around me who are practically invisible to me. When have I ever even felt compassion for them, let alone made any effort to help? This is not right! The cornerstone of our witness is our willingness to help those in need, even if they are not family or friends, or of the same ethnic group, or fellow Christians. Why would they listen to what we say about the love of Jesus if they don’t see that love in us?

The Greatest Joy

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (Lk 10:20)

However blessed we are by any gift or power or ministry God has given us, our greatest joy must always be that our names are written in the book of life. Let us seek no greater fame or glory than that.

Plan Ahead

Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but not find me. (Pr 1:28)

When a crisis arises, those who refused to be instructed in wisdom will seek for it but not find it. Wisdom is hard to acquire “on demand”. We must steep ourselves in biblical wisdom over a long period of time so that it is slowly absorbed. Then it will be available to us in a crisis. This is why it is good for me to read Proverbs over and over again month after month, even though most of the verses don’t apply to my situation right now. They are slowly becoming familiar to me so God can call them to my remembrance in my hour of need.

Limited Beings

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. (Eccl 11:5)

This was a metaphor that worked for thousands of years, and yet today we actually do know much about the “path of the wind” and “how the body is formed in a mother’s womb.” And so we are tempted to think that man has no inherent limits to his knowledge or his power, but this is not so. Every explanation we uncover with science has within it new mysteries, and ever discovery of science shows how much larger and more intricate the universe is. But we are so captivated by the success of science we sometimes forget there are whole classes of questions to which science can never yield any answers. There are spiritual, theological, philosophical, social and moral issues totally outside the realm of science. We must recover our humility and recognize that God’s ways and his knowledge and power are still far, far beyond us. We are inherently limited beings, dependent on him for life and truth and love.

Razing Canaan

It is not because of your righteousness or integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you…” (Deut 9:5)

Popular critics of the Bible portray the God of the Old Testament as a vicious tribal deity because he ordered the Israelites to conquer Canaan and slaughter all its inhabitants. People think God was cruel to them and unfairly favored the Israelites. But here we see the real story. The Canaanites were destroyed for their great wickedness – child sacrifice, temple prostitution, idol worship, etc. God explicitly tells the Israelites it is not because they deserve it or are holy – they themselves are a “stiff-necked people” who continually rebel against him. They only avoid the fate of Canaan because they acknowledge God as Lord and repent of their rebellion.

Saving Faith

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Lk 7:48,50)

In Luke chapter 5 Jesus told the paralytic his sins were forgiven. Here he does the same with the woman who anointed his feet with perfume. But in this case he makes explicit why her sins were forgiven. It is her faith in Christ that saved her – the same basis as our forgiveness. Scripture also says that Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). Abraham didn't know the name of Jesus, but he knew he needed a Savior, and he knew God alone could save him from his sins. Whether a person lived before Jesus' lifetime, during his lifetime, or after his lifetime, there is and always has been only one basis for salvation: faith in our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Lord Is God

You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. (Deut 4:35)

For all their history the Jews have remembered their great deliverance from Egypt and the miraculous way God brought them through the desert and into the promised land. They repeated the story over and over. (See Acts 7.) It defined them as a people. It was no accident that God established the nation of Israel with such signs and wonders (v34). He did it to establish beyond any doubt that he is God and there is no other – and Israel is his chosen people. It is also worth noting that even though earlier in this chapter Moses refers to “other gods,” in this verse he clearly states that there is only one true God. Some people read these early Old Testament references to "other gods" and conclude that monotheism was a later invention, but verses like this make clear that it was not. From their earliest days the Jews have proclaimed that God is One.

Ecclesiastes - The Cliff Notes Version

For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. (Eccl 2:21)

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This, too, is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Eccl 2:24-26)

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. (Eccl 3:14)

The first time I ever read Ecclesiastes I was puzzled by it. If you take one verse out of context you can misunderstand the point of the book. But I think the few verses shown above contain the core of Solomon’s message in this book:

1. Nothing you build on earth will last forever, not even your name. 
2. Therefore, to make these things your purpose in life is meaningless and foolish. 
3. What God does is eternal and it does matter. 
4. Therefore we, too, should make it our purpose to join with God in doing what will last for eternity. 
5. Freed from the need to find our eternal self worth in our wealth and work, we can simply enjoy them today for the blessings they are.