“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 2:11

The writer of Ecclesiastes catalogs the many ways he tried to find purpose and meaning in human endeavors and pleasures. He accomplished great things, built great buildings, and received the applause of many. He accumulated riches, worked hard, and played harder. He acquired mountains of stuff and spent his days and nights in the nearly endless pursuit of physical pleasure. He numbed himself and reflected on what he had become. It was all meaningless. It meant nothing and would be gone once he was gone.

Apart from God, out of His will, and without consideration for His glory, all of it was vanity. All of it was temporary. All of it would be swept away by the wind or buried by the sands of time. Apart from God, there is no long term meaning to any of the striving, sweat, and tears we put into the things that temporarily excite our imaginations.

True and lasting peace, pleasure, and purpose is found only as we pursue our relationship with God. There is satisfaction as we become more like His Son Jesus and walk in step with His Holy Spirit. There is meaning to our life as we devote it to making disciples. There’s a legacy that will last long after we’re gone when we devote ourselves to caring for and building up God’s people. There’s nothing to be gained under the sun unless it’s done for, and with, God’s Son!

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This is a message specifically for Christians (all Christians), because it’s built on truths which only apply to followers of Jesus! If Jesus is your Lord, then the Holy Spirit lives within you, which makes you a temple. A temple is the place where God dwells and He dwells within each believer! Our bodies are holy ground! What we put into them and what we do with them we are doing to and with God’s holy temple!

This should give us pause. As Christians, our eternal life and freedom from sin and death were bought with the precious blood and broken body of Jesus Christ. Because of what He did for us on the cross, we who believe in Him are united with Him through His death and resurrection. We are one with Him and He is one with us. This is a glorious truth, but it’s one with profound implications! We must continually seek to glorify God with our bodies.

We must reject sinful behaviors that don’t bring glory to God through the use of our bodies. Rather than rationalize sin away by asking who we’re affecting, we must live in light of the knowledge that we affect God in us. We must reject sinful behaviors that don’t treat our bodies as holy temples of God’s Holy Spirit. We must live each day with a greater awareness of Christ’s Lordship over our bodies and lives and His desire to bring glory to God through them.

This isn’t a negative thing at all. This isn’t a burden. This isn’t about eliminating fun. This isn’t really about what we can’t do – it’s about what we can do, because of Christ in us!

“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.” – 1 Chronicles 29:14

As David and the people of Israel gave generously for the construction of the Temple, they demonstrated a proper and healthy attitude toward financial giving. All our possessions come from God and are given to us to manage on His behalf to meet our needs, to meet the needs of others, and to glorify God. The Israelites understood that giving wasn’t an unpleasant and burdensome obligation imposed by God. Rather, the opportunity to give to God’s work on Earth is an invitation to join Him in blessing the world and praising His name.

The Israelites gave joyously and generously. They were delighted to be able to return to the Lord a portion of everything He’d given them. They gave freely and loved being able to join with Him in His important work. Giving should be like this for every Christian. Through Christ, God has blessed us with all the riches of His presence, His love, His salvation, His reconciliation, His adoption, and His friendship. God is the source of all our material blessings and possessions. He invites each of us, as His followers, to give joyfully and generously to advance His Kingdom here on earth.

We live in an age of unprecedented ability to support God’s Kingdom work both in the local church and at the far ends of the Earth. For those in the Western world, we have incredible opportunities to instantly support organizations with solid track records of financial stewardship as they translate and distribute the Bible, provide for physical needs, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and reach the unreached with Good News. Who are we that God would give us this incredible privilege? We are blessed beyond measure and invited to experience the joy of returning our blessings to the Lord!

“For David said, ‘Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.’ So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.” – 1 Chronicles 22:5

Sometimes we have what we believe to be the best, most exciting, most God honoring idea, and yet God tells us to wait anyway. That happened to King David, who wanted to build a glorious temple devoted to the Lord. This was a truly great idea, but God revealed that it wasn’t David’s job to do.

This had to have been disappointing, maybe even crushing! However, instead of arguing with God, pouting about God’s rejection, or plowing ahead anyway, David focused on doing everything he possibly could to help and prepare his son Solomon build the temple. After being told to wait, David invested everything he could in making that season of waiting fruitful. He gathered materials, set organizational structures in place, and cast the vision for the next generation to do the work.

When we think about doing great things for God, we must be willing to think in terms of years and generations. We must never let our dreams for God become about ourselves. We must see to the fruitfulness and success of the rising generation, even if that means less credit or satisfaction for ourselves.

Are we as productive as David when we’re forced to wait, whether for minutes, months, or years? Do we find fruitful works of preparation to do or do we simply pick up our phones for mindless distraction? We must wait patiently when told by God to wait but we must learn to wait fruitfully while we wait. Redeem your times of waiting and prepare for the future!

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18

This is a fascinating truth to reflect on! It explains much of the sharp divide in mindset between those who follow Jesus and those who don’t. If you have embraced Christ as Lord and Savior, then His work on the cross is logical, beautiful, and necessary. Sin separates us from our holy God. The wages of sin is death. The only way to deal with our sin is for something to die. It should be us as we deserve to remain spiritually separated from God forever. However, in His grace and mercy, God sent His eternal Son Jesus to die on our behalf. It all makes perfect sense – when we believe.

This is a truth that once we believe it sets us free and makes our hearts sing with joy, gladness, and praise. But for those who don’t yet believe it, it is strange, bloody, and barbaric. For those who don’t yet understand the awfulness of their sin and the terrible price that must be paid for it, this literally doesn’t make sense to them. They raise objections that reflect their lack of understanding of the depravity of sin.

This explains why many will reject our sharing of Christ. The cross simply doesn’t make sense to them. It also explains why we must keep sharing Christ – because for some, the cross will suddenly make perfect sense as they believe. What’s makes the difference? God’s work in their heart. God’s Spirit lifts the veil and reveals the beautiful power of the cross to those ready to believe.

We can’t discern when someone is ready, nor can we make them ready. We’re simply called to faithfully share this truth, knowing that we share the power of God with many who will only hear folly. Share anyway. Share well. Share knowing that the ability for your listener to understand lies in God’s hands, not yours. So pray before you share. Pray as you share. Pray after you share.