by Charles Bertelsmeier
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Read Ecclesiastes 1:1–11
Although I can remember the names and a little about the lives of my grandparents, I would struggle to tell you the names of all my great-grandparents or anything about their lives.
Then I think about my grandchildren and realise they know virtually nothing about my parents and previous generations. I’m sure we could all agree with the sentiment expressed in today’s verse.
We will spend today and the next four days looking at the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Before you open your calendar app and set a reminder to resume reading LCA devotions next Saturday and skip these five days, let me encourage you to persevere. God has put every book of the Bible there for a reason and has a message for us. I pray that God has a message for you in what he gives me to write. You may also like to read the whole book before we proceed with these devotions.
The first verse of this book indicates that the author is King Solomon. God blessed King Solomon to be one of the wisest people in history. He is also believed to be the author of the biblical book Song of Songs and to have collected many proverbs.
In Ecclesiastes, the author conducts a series of scientific experiments to find the meaning of life. In reflecting on this, I think we are all doing the same, but probably not as scientifically as Solomon. As young children, we are absorbed in play. As teenagers, we are trying to discover who we are. As young adults, we seek acceptance through our friendship circles and employment. Then, we aim to perpetuate our identity through our children, moving on to get ourselves financially secure and finally retiring to contemplate what we have achieved with our lives. Maybe we will even write up our life stories to perpetuate our legacies.
Solomon tries a range of activities to find meaning and fulfilment but comes up empty each time. Most of these things are things we also do to try to discover meaning and purpose. Spoiler alert: The conclusion Solomon comes to is that we only find that meaning and purpose through our relationship with God and by surrendering our lives to the plans he has for us.
Most of us, me included, didn’t want to hear that when we were younger and tried looking elsewhere. I thank God he didn’t give up on me and gently led me to accept Solomon’s conclusion.
Heavenly Father, I accept that life without you is meaningless. Please help me to listen to your Spirit as we dive into the Book of Ecclesiastes and to find meaning and purpose in your plans for us. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in a retirement village in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren, all of whom they love spending time with. Charles keeps busy caring for their pot plants and a community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
Ask for workers?
by Ruth Olsen
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Ask the Lord of the harvest … to send out workers into his harvest field (Matthew 9:38).
Read Matthew 9:35–10:8(9–23)
Jesus, with his disciples, has been traversing the countryside, teaching in the synagogues, healing people and spreading the good news and life of the kingdom. People were responding hungrily. They saw that the message was not empty words, and they wanted more. Jesus had compassion on them. His strategy for dealing with the abundant harvest and shortage of workers: ‘Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.’
Take the situation to the Lord of the harvest. Ask him for whatever is needed, for workers, resources and favour. It is his harvest field wherever he sends us. He has delight in the harvest coming in, and he knows who may be open to his message at present. His healing, wholeness, light, love and truth can still touch many more lost people.
Jesus gathered the 12 disciples and told them they were the workers! He gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. Then he gave them instructions: the good news of the kingdom was to be proclaimed first to Jews only. Later, it will be taken out wider. To start, go local, wherever you are. Don’t take anything … But remember that it was he who was sending them out, with his authority. They can rely on him and God for provision. But to take with them the message of the kingdom of heaven. Words that carry and communicate life.
If you were standing in the disciples’ sandals that day, what might have been happening in your thinking? Are you ready for his challenge afresh now through this Bible passage?
Father, by your Spirit, open the eyes of our hearts to see people around us through your eyes of compassion. Touch our hearts afresh with the message of your kingdom among us, and move us to share naturally wherever opportunities open. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.
Ruth lives in Adelaide, South Australia, with her husband, Steen. Peritoneal dialysis at night is now their settled ‘new normal’. Ruth says, ‘It is in the challenges of life where we grow in recognising the Lord’s enabling and faithfulness. Like the psalmist, we grow in knowing the goodness of the Lord’s love and his great mercy. All praise be to him!’
Knowing God’s will
by Anne Hansen
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Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).
Read Psalm 100
‘Elisabeth Elliot once stayed in the farmhouse of a Welsh shepherd and his family high in the mountains of North Wales. She stood watching one misty summer morning as the shepherd on horseback herded the sheep with the aid of his champion Scottish collie. The collie, she realised, was in its glory. It was doing what it had been bred and trained to do. Its eyes were always on the sheep, but its ears were dedicatedly tuned to obey its master. Through obedience, the dog had experienced its glory. The same is true in the spiritual realm, as Mrs Elliot insightfully summarised: “To experience the glory of God’s will for us means absolute trust. It means the will to do his will, and it means joy.”’ (Story by Kent and Barbara Hughes)
We are made in God’s image and to know and do the will of God. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all followed God’s will without question? What if we allowed God to guide us to better places and we, like sheep, followed? God is not asking us to be sheep to be herded by him and just follow without thinking. God gave us amazing minds to think and a free will to choose. God wants us to follow him and live with him in perfect harmony, but that is our choice.
He will never leave us. As in the story above, the Scottish shepherd was watching, caring and helping when danger approached. The sheepdog was dedicated to doing what the shepherd asked, but he also allowed the sheep to wander on their own. But once you have experienced God’s glory and know his love and trust him in all ways, you will want to do his will and be his children (sheep of his pasture). God never leaves his children, but he wants us to know and understand his will for our lives and then to share in his glory.
Study and learn to understand the love and will of our loving Father.
Loving Shepherd, lead and guide me in your ways and to know your will for my life. At times I stumble, fall and fail, but I know you are always there to lead me to the living waters of your love. Amen.
Anne Hansen has been the Lutheran Tract Mission development officer for 20 years. She lives in Noosa, Queensland, with her husband, Mark, who is a pastor. She enjoys leading Know Your Bible (KYB) and Mainly Music. For relaxation, Anne enjoys walking, reading, gardening and playing pickleball.
Righteous discipline
by Anne Hansen
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We have all had human fathers who trained us for a little while. They did what they thought was best. But God trains us for our good. He does this so we may share in his holiness (Hebrews 12:9a,10).
Read Hebrews 12:4–11
I really enjoy gardening. I think there is something very therapeutic about having your hands in dirt and seeing plants grow under your care. When I plant little tomato plants, they grow for a little while on their own, but if I leave them without support, they can easily be broken in the wind and rain. So, I tie a stake to the flimsy stem to help it grow straight. As the tomato plant grows, a larger stake is needed so it can get tall and produce a lot of fruit. When tying the plant to the stake, I am not doing it to hurt the plant, but to support it, care for it and help it produce fruit.
God loves you so much that he does all he can to support and protect you from all the evils in the world. He has sent his Holy Spirit to help us when needed, and so we can know his love. He sent his only Son to die for our sins and to assure us of his forgiveness and life forever with him.
God also sent his word for us to read, learn from and understand his ways. Then God also placed us in families to guide, lead and protect each person so that they may know God’s love.
But sometimes we make mistakes, and God lovingly corrects us. This correction is to help us grow, be strong and produce fruit – like the tomato plant. God allows us to face the consequences of our sinful actions or tells us ‘No’ to keep us safe. We may feel that God is hurting us, but it is his way of helping us to grow straight and strong in his love.
Human parents discipline their children not to hurt them, but to guide and protect them because they love their children so much. God is the same with us. He doesn’t discipline because he is angry or wants to punish. He disciplines because he loves us and wants us to share in his holiness and spend eternal life with him. See the training and correcting from God as a sign of his intense love for you to bear the fruits and be the person God made you to be.
You will have bad days, but God is always there, loving you!
My loving Father, you care for me so much that you correct and train me in your ways. Help me to understand that it is all because of your great love for me. Guide me to listen and follow your commands. Amen.
Anne Hansen has been the Lutheran Tract Mission development officer for 20 years. She lives in Noosa, Queensland, with her husband, Mark, who is a pastor. She enjoys leading Know Your Bible (KYB) and Mainly Music. For relaxation, Anne enjoys walking, reading, gardening and playing pickleball.