From Pastor Ben
Useless Trivia:
Today being Monday, here is the answer to the easy trivia question:
Which of the following animals is not mentioned in the song "Home on the Range"? Was it the Deer, or was it the Sheep, or maybe even the Antelope, how 'bout the Buffalo? The right answer was the Sheep, you all guessed it right.
By the way, which dog is always lying to you? Yep, you guessed it right, the Bulldog!
Challenge:
Ecclesiastes 8:9
"I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other."
Today in this verse Solomon wants to remind us about our choices in this life. We have the choice as to whether we will bring blessings to the people in our lives or we will bring hurt and harm to them. He thought long regarding this variable and then probably even considered his own life. He deliberated as to whether he had spent more effort on bringing blessing on those people in his life or whether he had failed the test.
I'm sure he also considered the choices that others brought into their world, and the potential they and he could have left in other peoples lives, just as we have many books written about scores of people people who chose to leave benefit and blessing on others.
I am reading a book on the lives of many people who lived out their sufferings due to their choices to build others lives up. For instance, think of David, he chose to trust God and stand out to oppose Goliath. He had a comfortable life tending the sheep but instead he stood out and defied the giant for insulting the army of the Lord God. Look at how his brothers insulted him by as much as saying, "You can't fight the giant and win, you're only a shepherd boy, a kid. Look at him! He's a giant, a seasoned warrior, a brother of four other giants! What in the world are you thinking, little brother?" But David's mind was focused on how great God was and how Jehovah God can't be insulted and how he can win over this godless army through God's power and his faith in God, if God willed it so. If not in God's plan, He was willing to die.
Though David was victorious over Goliath, his life was now destined for conflict from that day on. He because of his confidence in God working through His people, he was admired by the nation. Then King Saul became jealous and began trying to put him down before the nation. King Saul continued to attack David all the while even when David continued to sing and play the harp to bring comfort to King Saul. David spent the next few years running from King Saul and his army, all the way until the King and his minions were killed.
David's life reflects for us the choices we are given in our lives. We can choose to honor God through our lives, or run from the enemy with fear in control. As the verse reminds us "where people have the power" to honor God with our lives or run from the enemy.
SO GO WITH GOD, for He has given you the Power to stand strong in our Great and Mighty God's Power. As the song says "Choose Life" - it's all up to us. Choose life in the great strength of our Savior. It's your choice, one you must make alone, my dear one.