Waiting For Expected Good

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional

Message Title: Waiting For Expected Good
Date: Sunday July 03, 2011
Chapters: Ecclesiastes 7-8, Proverb 3, Psalm 23
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Details of Today's Chapters: Prudence is recommended as a means of avoiding much of the vanity and vexation of the world and Wisdom is recommended as an antidote against the temptations and vexations arising from the vanity of the world.

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“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God...And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” -Hebrews 12:1,2,5,6.

While we may not understand the trials we go through at the time, they often prove to be valuable lessons later on as they come to pass. The word patience means the suffering of afflictions without complaining about them, it's the act of waiting for justice or expected good without discontent. Whether we have Christ in our lives or not we will have to endure some afflictions in life, but those who have Christ can endure them peacefully.

God blessed Solomon with much knowledge and wisdom, he was not only taught to be a good king, but a godly one and he became a preacher as well. For a while he prospered greatly because of his relationship with God, however once he started allowing the world to come into his life he became what we call now, a worldly Christian. He loved God, but made some wrong decisions which caused much affliction in his life, Solomon actually wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes at the end of his life when he realized all the worldly things he longed for was pure vanity. Solomon teaches us some amazing things about enduring affliction and being careful about dwelling on the past.

“Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” - Ecclesiastes 7:7-12.

We need to be careful not to become too angry so quickly or resent the trials we are facing, it is perfectly fine to get angry, but we are not to allow ourselves to get so angry that we commit sin. We are not to keep dwelling over and over about wrong decisions we made in the past, we can not do anything about the past, dwelling on it only keeps us from moving forward, but we can do something about now. God allows the decisions we make for a reason, it is through the afflictions we face through those decisions that we learn, grow, and become stronger not only in our relationship with God, but as a person as well. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” - II Corinthians 4:17.

Solomon also warns us not to boast too much about our abilities, God gives us some great gifts to be used while we are here on earth, but we are not irreplaceable, there is always someone out that who can do the job we do a lot better willing to grab it if we are not careful.

“Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all. Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city. For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” -Ecclesiastes 7:16-20.

We are not to be conceited in our own abilities nor find fault with everything others do, it is perfectly fine to feel good about our accomplishments, but we are not to boast about it so much that we put ourselves above everyone else. We are all sinners and have faults, but those who fear God will shine above all and do not need to boast of themselves because others do it. “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” - Proverbs 27:1,2.

Wise and good men have been perplexed with the difficulty of understanding how the wicked prosper. No man, no matter how wise, is able fully and perfectly understand these things. Solomon explains that this is something that we endure through lots of faith in God.

“There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.. Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.” -Ecclesiastes 8:8,9,15-17.

The oppression of the defenseless and the prosperity of the wicked is a great puzzle until you read all of the Bible. As you study God's Word little by little you learn that it's not important what the wicked are doing nor other Christians, what's important is what you are doing. God has much more waiting for you as you patiently endure your afflictions through your faith in Him. “Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” - Romans 2:6-11.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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