Title: The Great Divide / Topic: Knowledge vs. Love

Today’s Reading: Ecclesiastes 4; Ecclesiastes 5; Ecclesiastes 6; Psalm 18; Ephesians 3

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2, 7; Psalm 18:1
(Solomon:) Ecclesiastes 5:1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 ...God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.
7 ...stand in awe of God.

(David:) Psalm 18:1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

Observation: What a contrast there is between Solomon and David -- their relationship to God. To Solomon, God is distant and imposing and demanding. To David, God is near and ready to help. Read the scriptures above again and note the differences. David expresses his feelings for God like this: "I love you, O Lord." Solomon addresses God in the third person and advises, "stand in awe of God."

Application: This is another example of how knowledge of God is not the same as passion for God. I meet many people who call themselves Christians (or religious, or spiritual) who have a knowledge of God. Some have studied intensely and have gathered amazing information and insight about God. But the ones who do not have a passionate love for God don't really get God at all. To them he is awesome but not dear. I want to know God, not just know about God. I want to be passionate and intimate with him.

Prayer: Lord, my desire is to know you and love you from the deepest part of my being. Enable me to make my desire my reality.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: Having Everything But The Right Thing / Topic: Empty Living

Today’s Reading: Ecclesiastes 1; Ecclesiastes 2; Ecclesiastes 3; Psalm 45; Ephesians 2

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

Observation: Solomon's Ecclesiastes is the testament of a sad man. God had given Solomon a gift of wisdom but he had pursued it for its own ends. Solomon forgot to pursue God, the great Giver of gifts. The end result is that everything has become meaningless to him (vs. 2). And verse 17 caught my attention. After getting so much knowledge and finding it unfulfilling, Solomon decides to widen his pursuit to the study of madness and folly! Talk about your wrong turns! No wonder Ecclesiastes is filled with so much confusion.

Application: So many people pursue things that don't fulfill. The things are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, but without God as the basis, they just don't fill the bill.

Bottom line: pursue God first. It is better to have God and nothing else than to have everything else and not God.

Prayer: Lord, all I want I find in you. Help me to keep pursuing you above all else.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.