Ecclesiastes 9 – 10

Verse 9:2 starts the depressing thought of “why”:

Everyone shares a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good [and the bad],the clean and the unclean, those who sacrifice and those who neglect the sacrifices. The good and the faithful are treated no differently than the sinner. Those who take an oath are treated no differently than those afraid to commit. Such a great injustice! 

Verse 3 sums it’s all up in the end “we die”. Solomon is saying what does it matter how we live, we all die. The promise in Jesus is we will have life everlasting. Also, when you think about conservation of energy, we have to live on!! But that is not the key since our life is here and now. We are not here for ourselves but rather God.

Verse 9:7 and on gives instruction on what we should do:

So here is what you should do: go and enjoy your meals, drink your wine and love every minute of it because God is already pleased with what you do.

It goes on and the key is to enjoy life!! We all die and to live outside the grace of God is no fun. I have been in a major “retrospective” of my life since my death and the current joy our family is experiencing. All the stress and fretting over things throughout my life has been meaningless. If I would have just settled into God’s grace and have faith through the rough spots, life may not have been easier but rather bearable.

Verse 9:11 has an interesting point to consider:

 I turned and witnessed something else under the sun: the race does not always go to the swift, the battle is not always won by the strong, bread does not always fill the table of the wise, wealth does not always accrue to the skillful, and favor is not always granted to the knowledgeable; but time and misfortune happen to them all. 

Some times “shit happens” that is beyond our control. Sure it may suck, but as I said through retrospective thought I have seen God work wonders with my misteaks. This does not mean don’t prepare and train, but rather don’t be “crushed” when you break down and coast to a stop 100 feet from the finish.

Verse 10:10 talks about that “training”:

If a tool is dull and no one sharpens its edge, the work will be harder;
        the advantage of wisdom is this: it brings success.

It is key to hook into a group of likeminded believers and train each other. I became my best running when I was being pushed and trained by others who were better, it’s the same with the spirit. We need to make sure we keep each other sharp and mentor as we as be mentored. We don’t want to have all the answers since life’s answers come from trials! So learn from others who have been there. I use to say I would rather learn from your mistakes than make them myself. So be disciplined to train, read, study and sharpen each other for furthering our world.