drift away from God – Be Still…

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 – This is Not Proverbs

Read Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

Solomon gives us “proverb-like” nuggets of wisdom here. However, I have to say that some of his tips don’t seem that wise to me. Keeping the perspective of when he was writing these thoughts down is helpful to me. Solomon had been exposed to countless false teachings from his many pagan wives. Plus, he didn’t have the promise of salvation we know in Jesus.

When we put our “redemption lens” on this passage, it’s easy for us to clear up some of Solomon’s concerns. I’d rather focus today on several of the observations Solomon got right. Having discussions on each of these points would be fun in a small group, don’t you think?

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 – Useless Wisdom

Read Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

Our teacher must be too smart for his own good. Or perhaps he was a master at overthinking things. We can fall into that trap as well when we lack trust in God. We can’t begin to understand all that exists, but it sounds like Solomon sure tried.

“I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.” What do you think about his statement? I don’t agree with “tragic” when we know God and sense his presence in our lives. For those who are far from God or who don’t nurture a relationship with him, that is definitely tragic.

Hebrews 2:1-4 – Listen and Look

Read Hebrews 2:1-4

Now the Preacher, how I’ll refer to the writer of Hebrews, takes our focus off the majesty of Jesus to give us a warning about own lives. Maybe you can recall a time in your life when you felt far from Jesus? The evil one lures us to drift away from God. Being reminded of that is so helpful.

We experience daily attacks from the evil one attempting to take control of our lives and make us forget about God. The Preacher gives us two paths to take to keep ourselves on track. We need to “listen for God” and “look for God” every day.

Jeremiah 2:4-13 – Where is the Lord?

Read Jeremiah 2:4-13

I hear such desperation in God’s tone, lamenting over how his children have abandoned him. Jeremiah is going to teach us how intimately God knows us and cares for us. We started this trek down memory lane in our last reading, and now God remembers how his people have responded to him. We’ve got the Bible history to see for ourselves how these people drifted away.

But it isn’t just “those people,” God’s chosen ones. When we look around our own communities, we see similar apathy toward God. There are those who deny God’s existence and there are those who acknowledge there’s a higher power but don’t have any interest in having a relationship with an invisible deity. What about you? Where is God for you?