In Ecclesiastes two, Solomon names all of the things he had done as he searched for meaning to his life. He named the things he had built, the things he had done, etc., and concluded that all of this is a waste because “one event” happens to everyone, whether fool or wise (Ecc. 2:14). He would talk about this again in Ecclesiastes 9:2-3.

                   This “one event” is the great equalizer. It visits man and woman, rich and poor. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon observed how it visited the wise and fool equally. This “one event” is no respecter of persons! What is the event all will experience? It is death (Ecc. 2:16).

                   Death is something that all men know will come (Ecc. 9:5a). It is also something men want to avoid or ignore until they can’t. Death is the antithesis of life. God contrasted it in this manner in Deuteronomy 30:15 and 19.

                   Why this “one event” then? Why do men walk the road of life into death? Simply put, it is because of sin. Sin brings death, physically and spiritually (Gen. 2:17. 3:19; Rom. 5:12, 6:2; Jas. 1:15). Physical death is something that is “appointed” to us (Heb. 9:27). Strong’s says that “appointed” in this verse means that death is “reserved” or “laid up” for us. Yes, “one event” happens to us all - unless the Lord returns first (I Cor. 15:51-52; I Thess. 4:15-17)!

                   We know everything in this life is temporary. “Moth and rust doth corrupt and … thieves break through and steal.” Thus our life is the same. We are born and are here for a limited time. “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Ps. 90:10).

                   Viewing life through this lens seems like things are hopeless. Not so. It is not simply “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” Let us enjoy life and let us spend our life being faithful to God (Ecc. 12:13). This is because this life is but a step into the next. The “one event” ushers us into an eternity of bliss or an eternity of horror.

                   What will your death mean for you? What will it mean to those you leave behind? The way this “one event” becomes meaningful is if you prepare now. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Jn. 8:24), repent of your sin (Lk. 13:3), confess Christ before men (Rom. 10:10), and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). If you prepare for your eternity now, then your death can be one such as is described in Revelation 14:13. If not, then you will die in your sins and leave you family in sorrow.

                   Friend, don’t let your children follow your casket to your grave with them knowing you were not prepared for death! Now is the time to prepare. “One event” happens to us all, and it is not a surprise (Ecc. 9:5)! Are you ready? If not, why not? Get ready now while you still have time (II Cor. 6:2; Heb. 3:7-8; Prov. 27:1)!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

As we open the book of Esther, we read about Ahasuerus and the great party he threw (Est. 1:4-5). We also read about him choosing a new mate (Est. 2) and choosing a man to be his second-in-command (Est. 3:1). After this, we read little about the king. He was on the throne, doing the work of a leader, but where was he when the people needed him (Est. 3:15b)? He was satisfied to take a bribe from Haman and go about whatever work he deemed essential to the kingdom (Est. 3:9-11).

We know this because while the city was “perplexed” (3:15), and while Mordecai mourned at the gate (4:2), the king seemed to be so engrossed in other work that he saw none of this. In fact, Esther remarked to Mordecai how it had been a month, and even she had not seen her husband (Est. 4:11)! What was he doing that demanded he ignore his wife and the cries of the people for a month?

From the attitude shown by the king in Esther 5:2-3, his negligence was not because he was angry or had some grudge against Esther or the others. If I could conjecture, it seems he got so caught up in certain aspects of being a king that he ignored other parts that were just as important. Does this sound like a problem we have had in the past? Does this sound like a problem we are having right now?

In 21st century America, we have so many things vying for our time and attention that we cannot adequately deal with them all. Some of these are our own doing, while other things have been “thrust” on us. We need to learn to prioritize and put “first things first”! Sadly, this does not happen as it should.

When Jesus walked the earth, He told those who listened to His preaching to, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). He rebuked the Pharisees who “pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith.” He said, “these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matt. 23:23). In other words, the Pharisees faced a similar problem to Ahasuerus. They focused on the areas they deemed necessary and ignored other things that were just as important. Friend, look into God’s mirror (Jas. 1:22-25). Is this you? What occupies your time? What do you deem important?

It took Esther entering the king’s presence unannounced to wake him up to what was going on in His kingdom. What is it going to take to wake you up to the spiritual reality around you? Paul said it is “high time to awake out of sleep” (Rom. 13:11). If those people in Rome needed this message, how much more do we need it?

Are you awake to spiritual realities around you (II Cor. 4:18)? Are you a Christian (Acts 11:26, 22:16)? If not, why are you putting it off (II Cor. 6:2)? What is occupying your time? How are you doing as a parent? Your children are growing every day! Are you bringing them up “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” or are you waiting until they get older (Eph. 6:4)? Have you taken the time to tell your children or to tell a close friend about Jesus yet (II Tim. 2:2; Mk. 16:15)? What is stopping you? What is more important than telling someone about the Lord?

Don’t become like Ahasuerus and turn a blind eye to what is going on around you, thinking that what you are doing is more important! You may be doing things you consider crucial in your life, but nothing is more important than making your life right with God and then teaching your children what God wants as well (Matt. 16:26; Eph. 6:4)!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

What A Day May Bring …

Jarrod Jacobs 

                   Solomon wrote, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Prov. 27:1). I remember a time in my life where I saw three people pass from this world in one month alone. Have you ever had a month like that? These deaths affected me, and each death caused me to “lay to heart” (Ecc. 7:2) what happened. In fact, each time one dies, it testifies that we have no lease on life.

                   God has never promised us a long life; nor has He promised us freedom from worry or problems. In reality, there are very few things we can count on in this life. We are not promised a safe drive home. We are not guaranteed that a home appliance will never fail. We are not promised that we will never get sick. We are not sheltered or immune from tragedy striking our homes in one form or another. When we recognize this, we will begin to appreciate the truth spoken by Solomon in Proverbs 27:1!

                   In a world of uncertainty, God has given us some promises which are sure and steadfast. For instance, God has promised never to leave or forsake His children (Heb. 13:5). God has also promised a Judgment Day in which the righteous will be rewarded, while the wicked will be punished (Rom. 2:7-11; Matt. 25:46; etc.). Not only is God and His judgment unchanging, but we can also take comfort in the fact that His word is unchanging. Man’s word changes often, and the things men say today may not be the same thing he says tomorrow. Yet, God’s word does not change!

                   David knew this and stated, “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (Ps. 119:89) While on earth, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). God has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” and His word “thoroughly furnishes” men for “every good work” (I Pet. 1:4; II Tim. 3:16-17). Since this is true, does it not give us hope and comfort when we know that His word is unchanging?

                   In a world that changes often, we find that the only settled and sure thing is God and those things related to Him! We do not know all the things that could happen in a day. Men can lie to us. Disease can ravage a family. Sometimes, people make selfish decisions which end up having an effect on us. No, we do not know what will happen in a day. No one can predict this.

                   Yet, for all of this, God is constant and consistent. He loves us and wants the best for us. He sent Christ to die (Rom. 5:9). He has given us His word to follow (Jn. 12:48). It leads us to Heaven. Seeing that this is the case, may this week be the week that we stop trusting in ourselves and trust in the Lord (Prov. 3:5). In the course of a day or a week, our lives can change in profound ways. Let us therefore, trust in God and hold to His unchanging hand while the storms of life rage!

“86,400”

Jarrod Jacobs

                   86,400 is a large number, isn’t it? Imagine having $86,400 in your bank account! What might you do with it? What if someone had 86,400 gold bars? How rich might someone be who could own 86,400 houses? Certainly, one would be most blessed if he were able to have 86,400 close friends. Yet, we are not speaking of those things when we refer to the number 86,400. 86,400 equals the number of seconds in a day!

                   Each day affords us 86,400 seconds of time in which to serve God, to work, to sleep, to raise children, to eat, to enjoy hobbies, and everything else we do. How are we using this time? Someone made the observation of how difficult it would be for one to spend $86,400 each day with the stipulation that he could not save it, nor “invest” it, because at the end of the day, he would lose any money he had not spent. This is similar to our gift of 86,400 seconds. The seconds we have this day will be used up in this day, and at the end of the day, they are gone forever! We have no “roll-over seconds”, or “do-overs”! There is no retrieving the seconds from this day once they are gone!

                   With this in mind, how are we using our time? Do we appreciate this gift like we should? Time should not be “killed,” “wasted,” etc., but savored and used wisely because it is precious and finite. This fact is stated often in the Bible. Moses asked God to, “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). Man’s life has been compared to a vapor in Scripture (Jas. 4:14). It has also been compared to grass or a flower, which “withers” and “falls” in time (I Pet. 1:23). Job said, “Man who is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). He also said, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and come to their end without hope” (Job 7:6). The apostle Paul emphasized the brevity of life when he stressed the importance of obeying God “now” (II Cor. 6:2). It is written, “Today if ye will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...” (Heb. 3:7-8). Notice that all of these verses emphasize the precious possession we call time. It fascinates me to consider the fact that our eternal God (Ps. 90:2) actually inspired men (II Pet. 1:20-21) to dedicate portions of His Bible to reminding man not to waste time! Since He has done this, I had better take heed!

                   Knowing that our life is brief at its longest (Jas. 4:14), and that our lives can end, or be irreversibly changed in a moment (Prov. 27:1), is there any wonder that we see a continued emphasis in Scripture on one doing what is right “today”, while we still have the opportunity? 86,400 seconds per day seems like a lot of time (and it is). On the other hand, these seconds move very rapidly.

                   86,400 seconds is all we have been given for this day. HOW will we use this precious time? Will it be used in selfishness or godliness? If the Lord wills, and we wake up to a new day tomorrow, HOW will we use the 86,400 seconds given to us on that day? The world has given us far too many “distractions” wherein we are encouraged to waste our time. (I say this as one who is guilty of wasting time, too!) Yet, let us resolve today to stop wasting time and make the best use of our time we have on earth (Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5)!