May 21st

May 21st -- Ecclesiastes 12 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%2012&version=NLT)

_____ ; Concluding Thoughts about the Teacher

Don't forget about God in youth, before you get to being old and saying life has no meaning. Remember Him above all else. Remember Him while you are young as opposed to solely when you are old so that your spirit will be fulfilled when you are young and so we do not waste all our youth not serving the kingdom of God.

Now, the passage then goes on to talk about the teacher, who I believe must be the one who taught about the lessons beforehand in this book. It says that the Teacher says everything is entirely meaningless, and this Teacher was found wise. Wise words are like cattle prods - they are painful, but they are helpful. In the end, though, just be wary to follow God's commands because we will be judged for every one of our actions, good or bad.

I think basically there are two focuses on this. One is not to forget how fragile life can be, and therefore not to delay finding God. Let's say you planned on bothering to look into religion when you were 60, but were - terribly - killed in an accident around the age of 40. You would not know God, and would end up in Hell. This could have been avoided had you met Him earlier instead of delaying it until you were older. If you had focused on God in your youth, you would have been fine. Also, when you focus on God in your youth, your life actually has a purpose. If you do not know God until after your youth, you have wasted all that time which could have been spent helping build His kingdom.
The other focus is on listening to God's teachings. Often, we may not like what God's saying is true, or real. Often we prefer a more lenient version, or simply a whole different story. However, as much as what God can say can hurt, it is always helpful. It is there to guide us and keep us away from harm like a cattle prod. Also like a cattle prod, it only hurts when it is resisted, but otherwise will cause no harm or pain. We just need to listen to God, taking what He says to be truth as the truth - no if's and's or's or but's about it. If we don't listen, we have to take it up with Him, so we're far better to just listen without questioning.

That'll be all! God bless! Shalom!