Feasting on God's Word (One Year Bible)

“Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments” ( Ecclesiastes 12:13 ). There are many matters which are secondary. Living in accordance with the Gospel is the all-important thing: “We put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ” ( 1 Corinthians 9:12 ). “For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods” ( Psalm 96:4 ). The fear of the Lord is directly related to worshipping Him. To fear the Lord is not to cower away from Him. It is to come to Him in worship. Together with the fear of the Lord, there is rejoicing in Him ( Psalm 96:11 ).

“Do not be over-righteous, neither be overwise” ( Ecclesiastes 7:16 ). This is not a protest against wisdom and righteousness. It is telling us that, in our wisdom and righteousness, we must not become proud like the Pharisees. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” ( 1 Corinthians 8:1 ). Without love, everything else is nothing. We must never forget this. “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” ( Psalm 95:7-8 ). Where our wisdom (or knowledge) and righteousness become centred on ourselves - ‘How wise and righteous I have become’, we have closed our hearts to God. Listen to God. Learn from Him. Live for Him. Real wisdom has nothing to do with self-centredness. It’s all about learning to be Christ-centred. Real wisdom leads to true righteousness. It’s about learning to become like Jesus. We look to Him and we learn to live for Him.

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” ( Ecclesiastes 5:10 ). This is the world’s way. The Lord’s way is a better way. We are to “use the things of the world” without being “engrossed in them” ( 1 Corinthians 7:31 ). What we must remember is this: “The fear of the Lord leads to life; Then one rests content, untouched by trouble” ( Proverbs 19:23 ). When our relationship with the Lord is the most important thing in life, we do not get unduly anxious about how things are going, in terms of material prosperity.

“I know that everything God does will endure for ever” ( Ecclesiastes 3:14 ). In the constant flux of life in this world, here we have something which must never be forgotten. There are many circumstances in life which are confusing - “How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” ( 1 Corinthians 7:16 ). In the face of life’s confusing circumstances, there will be times when we will say, “My foot is slipping.” In times like these, we must learn to say, “Your love, O Lord, supported me” ( Psalm 94:18 ).

“A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary” ( Jeremiah 17:12 ). The Lord is enthroned on the praises of His people - “Jesus, we enthrone You ... We lift You up with our praise. And as we worship, build Your throne. Come, Lord Jesus, and take Your place.” When the Lord is enthroned on the praises of His people, there will also be prayer and proclamation - “Devote yourselves to prayer ... that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ ... clearly” ( Colossians 4:2-4 ). The blessing of the Lord is upon those who come to His House, seeking Him: “Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. From the House of the Lord we bless you” ( Psalm 118:26 ).

Our spiritual warfare is both outward and inward. We have enemies coming at us from without and from within. Concerning the enemies from without, God says, “This people will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you ... I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel” ( Jeremiah 15:20-21 ). Concerning the enemies from within, God says, “Put to death ... whatever belongs to your earthly nature” ( Colossians 3:5 ). We are not to “fret because of evil men” ( Proverbs 24:19 ). We are to “fear the Lord” ( Proverbs 24:21 ).

The life of faith is a life of conflict. We live among “the faithless” - God is “always on their lips, but far from their hearts” ( Jeremiah 12:12 ). We are called to maintain the faith in the face of “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world’s rather than on Christ” ( Colossians 2:8 ). There is conflict, but there is also victory  - “The Lord is with me ... I will look in triumph over my enemies ... “ ( Psalm 118:6-8 ).