Well-Driven Nails
The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails. Ecclesiastes 12:11 NASB
Wisdom, which I define as skill in everyday living, is one of the greatest needs of every generation. And the writer of Ecclesiastes 12 shares about the words of a wise man being like "well-driven nails" - words that bring perspective, security and life.
Nail Number One: Remember God
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author and Russian dissident during the Soviet era, said, "I have spent fifty years working on the history of the Russian Revolution. In the process, I have collected hundreds of personal testimonies, read hundreds of books and contributed eight volumes of my own. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 600 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: Men have forgotten God."
These powerful words confirm that when people fail to remember God and do not recognize His presence and authority in their lives, anything goes. They develop spiritual amnesia and are unable to remember what God has done to show Himself faithful and true, not only in their own lives, but also throughout human history. When we forget God, we forget to trust Him.
If you want to drive this nail home, I would encourage you to consider three things: First, learn how to truly worship God. Second, get to know Him by spending time reading the Bible. And third, create a list of spiritual milestones - divine acts that exemplify something significant He has done in your life or family. When we rehearse what God has done, we not only remember Him, but we also are more likely to trust Him for what we are facing today.
Remember your Creator.
It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them. Ecclesiastes 7:18 NASB
When I was a young lad growing up in southwest Missouri, it seemed as though the preacher in our little church would tilt that pulpit of his, and hellfire and brimstone would come smoking out into the pews. He preached about the almighty God who was just and righteous in His judgments. Not all of what the preacher said was healthy, but as a boy I learned to have a reverential awe of the One who held my destiny in the palm of His hand.
We rarely hear sermons today about the fear of God.Reverential awe has been largely replaced with much softer, sweeter emotions. We've traded the fear of God for the love of God, not realizing we need both of them to keep us balanced and secure.
Nail Number Two: Fear God
Believers in past centuries talked about living "in the presence" of God or living "before the eyes" of God. Keeping their view of Him high and majestic drove them to change their world, because they knew that the Lord God almighty was watching. And they never forgot it.
Living for God is not about kicking back and seeking ease. It is serious business. Rather than seeing the promises of God as ways to increase our checking-account balances and meet our own needs, the Bible calls us to "cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1). It's not about entertainment and feeling good. It's about seeing Him for who He is and seeing ourselves accountable to Him on a moment-by-moment basis. And real life is being accountable to others who share our pursuit of reverent, holy living.
The conclusion, when all has been heard; is: fear god and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Ecclesiastes 12:13 NASB
A.W. Tozer said, "The Word of God was not given to us to make us intelligent sinners, but obedient and authentic saints." As important as it is to remember God - to recall who God is and what He has done for us - and to fear God by practicing a reverential awe of Him and His presence in our lives, it is equally important to hammer home the final nail.
Nail Number Three: Obey God
Our lives are made up of choices - difficult forks in the road where we must decide to choose God's way or to pursue our own. And as Moses said to the children of Israel, the choice is really not between right and wrong but between life and death (see Deuteronomy 30:15-16). The prophet Amos said it very succinctly: "Seek the LORD that you may live" (Amos 5:6). Truly, the only sure path to life is found in obedience to God and His Word.
Thomas Carlisle wrote, "Conviction, be it ever so excellent, is worthless until it converts itself into conduct." It is not enough just to know what's right. Well-driven nails only become that way when we have the courage to sink them deeply by obeying God.
-Excerpted from Moments With You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
Wisdom, which I define as skill in everyday living, is one of the greatest needs of every generation. And the writer of Ecclesiastes 12 shares about the words of a wise man being like "well-driven nails" - words that bring perspective, security and life.
Nail Number One: Remember God
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author and Russian dissident during the Soviet era, said, "I have spent fifty years working on the history of the Russian Revolution. In the process, I have collected hundreds of personal testimonies, read hundreds of books and contributed eight volumes of my own. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 600 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: Men have forgotten God."
These powerful words confirm that when people fail to remember God and do not recognize His presence and authority in their lives, anything goes. They develop spiritual amnesia and are unable to remember what God has done to show Himself faithful and true, not only in their own lives, but also throughout human history. When we forget God, we forget to trust Him.
If you want to drive this nail home, I would encourage you to consider three things: First, learn how to truly worship God. Second, get to know Him by spending time reading the Bible. And third, create a list of spiritual milestones - divine acts that exemplify something significant He has done in your life or family. When we rehearse what God has done, we not only remember Him, but we also are more likely to trust Him for what we are facing today.
Remember your Creator.
It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them. Ecclesiastes 7:18 NASB
When I was a young lad growing up in southwest Missouri, it seemed as though the preacher in our little church would tilt that pulpit of his, and hellfire and brimstone would come smoking out into the pews. He preached about the almighty God who was just and righteous in His judgments. Not all of what the preacher said was healthy, but as a boy I learned to have a reverential awe of the One who held my destiny in the palm of His hand.
We rarely hear sermons today about the fear of God.Reverential awe has been largely replaced with much softer, sweeter emotions. We've traded the fear of God for the love of God, not realizing we need both of them to keep us balanced and secure.
Nail Number Two: Fear God
Believers in past centuries talked about living "in the presence" of God or living "before the eyes" of God. Keeping their view of Him high and majestic drove them to change their world, because they knew that the Lord God almighty was watching. And they never forgot it.
Living for God is not about kicking back and seeking ease. It is serious business. Rather than seeing the promises of God as ways to increase our checking-account balances and meet our own needs, the Bible calls us to "cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1). It's not about entertainment and feeling good. It's about seeing Him for who He is and seeing ourselves accountable to Him on a moment-by-moment basis. And real life is being accountable to others who share our pursuit of reverent, holy living.
The conclusion, when all has been heard; is: fear god and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Ecclesiastes 12:13 NASB
A.W. Tozer said, "The Word of God was not given to us to make us intelligent sinners, but obedient and authentic saints." As important as it is to remember God - to recall who God is and what He has done for us - and to fear God by practicing a reverential awe of Him and His presence in our lives, it is equally important to hammer home the final nail.
Nail Number Three: Obey God
Our lives are made up of choices - difficult forks in the road where we must decide to choose God's way or to pursue our own. And as Moses said to the children of Israel, the choice is really not between right and wrong but between life and death (see Deuteronomy 30:15-16). The prophet Amos said it very succinctly: "Seek the LORD that you may live" (Amos 5:6). Truly, the only sure path to life is found in obedience to God and His Word.
So when you don't feel like loving your spouse, obey God.
When you're tempted to steal or to compromise your integrity, obey God.
When your boss asks you to do something you shouldn't, obey God.
When your lusts and passion are telling you to give in, obey God.
When you're suffering and feel like quitting, obey God.
When the easiest thing to do is nothing, obey God.
When you feel like being lazy, obey God.
Whatever choice you may be facing, obey God. . . and live!
Thomas Carlisle wrote, "Conviction, be it ever so excellent, is worthless until it converts itself into conduct." It is not enough just to know what's right. Well-driven nails only become that way when we have the courage to sink them deeply by obeying God.
-Excerpted from Moments With You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
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