David Shelton Online

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - TUESDAY, MAY 29

Ecclesiastes 7:21 Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, lest you hear your servant cursing you. (NASB)

Cultural expectations are hard to overcome. For example, as a St. Louis Cardinal baseball fan I am expected to dislike and ridicule the Chicago Cubs. This is true even is the Cubs are playing horrible baseball and are irrelevant in the division standings. Of course a Cub fan is expected to do the same for the Cardinals. Solomon gives another example in today’s verse. Employees are expected to complain about their bosses. They may like the boss, but if other employees are around, it is easy to get caught up in negative conversation.

The best solution would be to change cultural expectations. Since this is extremely difficult, the workable solution is for people to not be so sensitive. We take things personal that really are not about us. We look for reasons to be offended. We need to be more thick-skinned. We need to let things said is jest be in jest. In short, we need to learn to laugh at ourselves.

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - THURSDAY, MAY 10

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. (NASB)

Sometimes I hear people say they do not go to church because the church is full of hypocrites. Usually, this means that they know church members who are not always living up to Christ’s standards. This does not make them hypocrites, just human. Whether or not they are hypocrites depends on how they present themselves. If they act is if they never make mistakes, they are hypocrites. If they talk as if they never have times of doubt, they are hypocrites. If they want to act as if they are 100% sold out 100% of the time, they are probably hypocrites. Christians are not hypocrites because they are flawed, they are hypocrites when they fail to own up to their flaws.

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - WEDNESDAY, MAY 9

Ecclesiastes 7:17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? (NASB)

This time I know Solomon is serious. I can grasp what he is saying fairly easy. It is all about choices and consequences. Those people who are continually making bad choices set themselves up for the corresponding consequences. For example, a young man joins a local gang. He is not violent and shuns that side of gang life. However, he is with other members who are violent. One day, the young man is there when another gang pays a visit and he is killed.

Solomon also talks about those who are foolish. There a people who do things that are just not smart. I think about the motorcycle rider who did wheelie while changing lanes on busy six lane highway. He got away with last night, but sooner or later that kind of foolishness will get him (or someone else) hurt. Life is too valuable to risk it over foolishness.

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - TUESDAY, MAY 8

Ecclesiastes 7:16 Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? (NASB)

Is Solomon serious? You can be excessively righteous? You can be overly wise? This seems to be impossible until you stop and think about it. Excessive righteousness is the result of legalism and self-effort. It requires great effort which is exhausting and eventually disappointing. More than likely you will find yourself alienated for other people. This outcome is the same for those who seek to be over wise. They may know everything (not really) but they have no one with whom to share. They have spent all their time pursuing knowledge they forgot to build relationships. We need to be righteous and we need to wise. We also need to be balanced in our lives.

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - MONDAY, MAY 7

Ecclesiastes 7:15 I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness. (NASB)

Long before Billy Joel put the thought to music, Solomon made the observation. The good die young. Of course, we now there are good people that live long. We also know there are bad people who die young and other that live long. Still, Solomon points out a reality. There are people who do bad things and seem to get away with them. They appear to be blessed. Likewise, there are people who do good things and never have the chance to experience the rewards. It appears to be unfair. Of course, Solomon would remind us that there is still eternity. The evil man may like long on the earth, but he faces an eternity of punishment. The righteous man may die young, but he has that much longer to enjoy being in the presence of God.

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - FRIDAY, MAY 4

Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit. (NASB)

You are standing at the beginning of difficult road. There will be many difficult choices. You will be challenged. You will have to endure much. Two others are standing with you. One proclaims with great confidence that he knows everything you should do. He can tell you all the right choices to make. When pressed, he reveals that he has never been down that road. He is willing to go, but his willing to share his wisdom.

The other person makes no promises. He has been down that road. He is not sure how he got through, but he knows God with him. He is slow to tell you what you should or should not do. He is quick to promise that he will walk with you.

Which person’s advice would you prefer? Which kind of counselor are you?

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - THURSDAY, MAY 3

Ecclesiastes 7:5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools. (NASB)

Do you have earworms? Most of us do, but do not panic. They are annoying but pose no real significant threat. What are earworms? They are those songs or parts of songs that get stuck in your head and you cannot get them out. I would list a few examples, but then you would contract earworms and spend the rest of the day irritated at me.

Solomon apparently was familiar with earworms. He knew that silly, goofy songs are entertaining, but they have a tendency to stick. We find ourselves thinking about them and singing them. Since we cannot think about two things at the same time, we often push aside important stuff for the foolishness of a song. So next time you have an earworm, try replacing it with a piece of wise advise someone shared with you – or even better a verse of Scripture.

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - TUESDAY, MAY 1

Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than a good ointment, And the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth.  (NASB)

Moving to a new state means having some new experiences and encountering new traditions. Some of those traditions are interesting. Some seem a little silly to me. For example, the school’s in our area have graduation for eighth graders It includes a ceremony, a dance, and even a trip. When they present the “diploma” do they say, “Congratulations, you have four more years to go? That’s right, four more years of studying and tests and four more years of homework.

Solomon is not suggesting that dying is something great. He is making an observation. Death brings an end to all of life’s struggles and difficulties. For the people of God it means moving to heaven. Heaven is a place where there is no sickness, pain, or sorrow. At birth we have all of life’s experiences before us – those that are good and bad. At death, only the good stuff remains.

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - MONDAY, APRIL 30

Ecclesiastes 6:9 What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.  (NASB)

When I was a child and my mother was out of town, my Dad and I would often go out to eat. He loved to go to Piccadilly Cafeteria. He would let me pick out whatever I wanted. Usually this meant a tray with more food than I could carry, much less eat. My eyes kept telling my stomach that I had to have all those items. Often the meal ended with me miserably stuffed, lots of food left on the tray, and Dad slightly irritated.

Our eyes are not always reliable. We think we have to have the things we see. Having them will make us happy. They will bring contentment and fulfillment. These pursuits often take precedence over spiritual matters, so that work and recreation are given priority. But there is always more to see and thus more we need to have. Such a method of finding satisfaction is fleeting. Only spiritual matters are eternal and eternally satisfying.

DAILY PONDERINGS 2012 - SATURDAY, APRIL 28

Ecclesiastes 5:18 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. (NASB)

Think about how much time, people spend complaining about their jobs. We complain when we have to get up early. We complain when we have to stay late. We complain when we do not get recognition and especially if we do not get a pay raise. We act as if our employment is a burden that we must bear without any measure of happiness.

Solomon gives us a different perspective. Work is a gift from God, just like the food and drink we enjoy. There are not many people who spend the whole meal time grumbling. Rather, we sit and enjoy. We should have the same approach to our work.