Christian Living

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN, FOR ALL IS VANITY

by Charles (Chuck) Robey
09/15/16
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13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Whose mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:13-18)

In all walks of life, we see the endless cycle of God's natural creation illustrate the monotonous, ineffective futility of life. Have we failed to learn from our mistakes? (Ecclesiastes 1:11) Maybe so. Can we correct our mistakes? Definitely, yes.

And is the lack of a relationship with God evident in our conduct? Yes, indeed. Just simply check it out, America's everyday apathetic demeanor, the news media, the governments, the institutions of learning, the relaxed life styles, the conversations in the marketplaces, and oh yes, the established mainline churches.

There are a number of scriptures, both Spiritually inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) and prophetic (2 Peter 1:20-21), that parallel the Bible with today's living.

In (Ecclesiastes 1:9), King Solomon tells us that there is nothing new under the sun, for all is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2). How right he was. Human nature hasn't changed these thousands of years, since the beginning of time. The religious leaders still insist that their doctrine is right (Ecclesiastes 5:1). The politicians still adhere to the same old over-used agenda (Ecclesiastes 1:15). And mankind is still in that "give me something for nothing" mode" (Ecclesiastes 1:8).

And as we see in this introductory scripture, what stands out is the potential destruction of the throat, tongue, lips and mouth. You see, our mouth is an accurate indicator of our state of our mind (Matthew 12:34). The bottom line is we now have no fear of God in our lives.

In Psalm 36 we have an equivalent to our introductory scripture. No fear of God in (Psalm 36:1), everyone doing his own thing (Psalm 36:2), as they unwisely speak evil and deceit (Psalm 36:3-4).

However, in Psalm 36:5-9 the mood changes, and we see God's sovereign power working for our redemption, and the petition for God to continue His protective love (Psalm 36:10-11). Then in (Psalm 36:12) we see the defeat of the wicked. Can you match Psalm 36 with today's world? I think so.

When we look at life's seemingly endless circles and paradoxes, we could very well conclude that all is futile. When we see the powers-to-be seemingly control our lives, we may just feel all that we do is useless or wasted. However, as Christians our lives should be enjoyed to the fullest, realizing that they are a gift from God (Eccl. 3:12-13, 22) (Eccl. 5:18-19) (Eccl. 8:15) (Eccl. 9:7-9). And the wisest man who ever lived confirmed that God will eventually judge all men (Eccl. 3:16-17) (Eccl. 12:14).

Author's Postscript:

We are living in a time like never before. Evil is running rampant throughout the world (Ephesians 6:11-12), and it makes no difference what vocation one may pursue, ungodliness is everywhere. Case in point: a personal reflection.

My day started out rather nicely. As I ran my errands, I tuned my vehicle radio to the 50's music, with which I sang along. I came home and turned the TV to the old family shows of "Father Knows Best" and "Leave it To Beaver". I then made my mistake by turning to the TV news. My elation quickly turned to depression. If I had not been grounded in God's Word, my attitude could have been permanently mired.

The mainline news was taken up by stories of demonstrators burning the American flag, sports celebrities not respecting and not standing for the "Pledge of Allegiance", political candidates berating one another, discussions of same sex restrooms and same sex marriages, and the disgusting list goes on and on. No wonder there is so much mental stress and depression in America.

The thought then hit me, what would my parents think, if they were to come back to this mess? How did our country get in such disarray? However, our Lord gave us a solution in (2 Chronicles 7:14). If we, His people, would simply humble ourselves, pray and seek Him, He promised to hear us and heal our land. Notice however, it is up to us, His people, to solve this problem.

And yet, we are missing the greatest commandment of them all, which is "Love", as given by our Lord Himself. (Matthew 22:34-40). You see, what a country this would be, if everyone simply loved God with all their heart, soul and mind. And the key word here is that big little word "ALL".

So, we still have a chance if we will but stop showing our arrogance by doing our own prideful thing (Judges 21:25), and do the will of the Father (Matthew 12:50). God said it and I believe it, "There's nothing new under the sun, for all is vanity ".
What do you think?

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PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR 11-8-2016
PRAY-ENCOURAGE AND VOTE