[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Saturday, November 24 2012

[Paul]

Hello and good evening to all my fellow saints of the Most High God residing in North America, and a good Lord's Day to the rest of you in other parts of the world.  For those of you in Australia and New Zealand, you've probably already have been to church, and I pray that you will apply what you heard and learned from your pastors and/or Sunday school teachers to your individual lives as the gracious Holy Spirit enabled.  For the rest of us in the Americas, in Europe or the UK, I pray that we will all do the same thing.

"Advice For Old and Young" by Joyce A. Felske is the article to be presented now, rendered as follows:

In ch11 and 12 of Ecclesiastes, we see how 
Solomon summed up his evaluation of life.  He began by saying we ought to be spreading our good works.  Many times life seems so ordinary, but we never give up.  We are to get busy and sow seeds of goodness and love.

We know so little.  Scientists are always looking at this world and the human body, but they will never know it all.  God's knowledge is so far beyond us; therefore, do not try to figure out everything or wait for perfect conditions.  We never know how anything will turn out.  We cannot see the end results, but if God is in it, it will be for good.

As we come to the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, there are four words that we should deeply embed within our minds.  They are "Remember now thy Creator" (12:1).  "Now" means today, before you are too old to respond.

We are admonished to remember God early in life.  Why? Because difficult days will come as we get older.  There is no way to escape old age.  Often our days of pleasure are struggles to just get through the day.  Our physical condition is beginning to diminish.

In Ecclesiastes 12:2-7 we get a picture of life in later years.  Today, however, with all the new medicines and information, people are living longer and enjoying their later years.  But there does come the day when, if we live long enough, some of these verses will describe us.

Unless we remember God early in life, we will waste away in fear, bitterness, and anger and wonder why life is this way.  Without God and knowledge of His Son in our lives, life is meaningless.

As we get older, it is harder to come to God because we are so set in our ways.  Little children are open to new things.  We need to be like children in our approach to God (cf. Matt. 11:25; 18:3; Luke 18:17).

Instead of a life full of vanity, you can have a meaningful life, but only if you "fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of Man" (Eccles. 12:13).

I challenge you to read Ecclesiastes and know the truth that Solomon wants you to know about life.  The truth is in Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Believe Jesus Today.

And there you have it for today.  Until tomorrow when, Lord willing another good night message will be presented, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian brother and friend, Paul