THERE REALLY IS HOPE

Vol 3 No 7 THEO'S DEVOS

ECCLESIASTES 2: 24-26a 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, ²⁵for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ²⁶To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness,

While reading Ecclesiastes you might get a depressed feeling On the surface it seems as though Solomon had nothing much to say about joy and happiness. Fortunately our verses for today counter that and we are given a peek at the real secret of life lived well.

One thing is clear however! The things that we often think of as being so important come up short in the long run. We look for satisfaction in so many wrong places. We enjoy food, drink, relationships and work to name a few. These things can turn bad so easy it isn't really funny. The food we enjoyed as a young person almost turns to poison as we grow older. We find pleasure in so many forms of drink from Mountain Dew (my favorite) to various harder drinks such as wine, alcohol, etc. I guess one of the first time people who like alcohol run into a problem is when they find out that they can't drink it while they are taking some form of medicine that clearly states, on the label, that one should not drink alcohol while taking this medicine. And that isn't giving much thought to the one who shouldn't drink because once they start they can't stop. All things in moderation goes out the window.

And what about relationships. I have a hard time writing about this because there are so many who have felt so much pain in this area. It remains true though that no one begins a relationship thinking that it was going to go wrong and provide so much hurt that some prefer to not even live. But relationships do go wrong and we can feel as though we have failed. so we try again, and again, and, maybe even again. Why? Well one reason is because our expectations are misplaced, We look for satisfaction and happiness in the wrong place. The problem of life is that focusing on the obvious is the worst place to look.

In this plane on which we live, this mortal coil as someone has called it. is the last place to look for meaning. It doesn't matter how much money, or power, you have these things do not bring the peace and contentment we require and search for so diligently.

This does not mean, however, that peace, happiness, joy and contentment cannot be found. They simply exist on a plane that can only be contacted spiritually. They are found in heavenly places not earthly ones. Thank God, if we please Him. all these things are open to us and can be our portion in life. And more than them He gives us wisdom, the application of knowledge and the knowledge we need to live our day to day lives.

Think about this for a minute. How much time do we spend working on earthly things: people, jobs, saving for that winter day, shopping, eating, drinking and what have they gotten us? Worry that they will disappear. But to have something that the world didn't give you is to have something that the world cannot take away. To please God is to do those things that God desires us to do and brings with them some awesome things such as the ones listed in our verses today.

Please do not think that I am saying that earthly things are not important at all. What I am saying is that to disregard the things of God day after day is to set yourself up for a fall because earthly things have a way of slipping away but the things of God stay forever. You will know that when you get to heaven but please don't wait until then. Believe what God says and reap the reward here and not.

May God bless you today and thanks for reading Theo's Devos.

Theo

Dear Small Group Leader (or soon to be Facilitator)

Please allow everyone in your group to answer the Quick Question. It will get things started on the right foot, encouraging quieter ones to open up. Please do not require everyone to answer every question. They may not be ready to share yet. Also please allow at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your study so as many as would like to can respond to the REFLECTION question. This may be the most important time in your small group study. Thank You

SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY

Please Read: Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

QUICK QUESTION: What was the best job you ever had and why was it so good? Do you still have it? Why or why not?

1. What did Solomon say would happen to the wise man and the fool?
   
   

2. After all that we do, what does Solomon say will happen?
   
   

3. What does God require of us and what do we get for it?
   
   

4. Why does it seem that it is hard to develop a relationship with God?
   
   

5. Why do you think that the world places such importance on things that fail?

REFLECTION: What can you do this week to change from earthly pursuits entirely to Godly ones?