Scripture
Our verse for today is from Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
Background and Application
As we seek Him today, ask God to reveal to you the secret things that do not fit As you read through Ecclesiastes, you quickly get the sense that much of what we spend our time doing, those things that we fill our days with, they aren’t going to amount to much when it’s time for us to go. Solomon speaks of the meaningless, the vanity, of such things as power, achievement, pleasure, accumulation, and hard work. That strikes a chord with us. We realize that whatever we work for and save will be left behind, to be done with by others as they choose. We know that fame and recognition come and go like the wind, and that the latest fad item or electronic that we’ve got to have will only satisfy us until we see the next new thing. But, that awareness of the vanity of worldliness slowly goes away. Somewhere in the continuing cycle of pursuing and attaining and wanting something more, the good things of God seem to lose their appeal. They don’t sparkle and get upgraded like what we see in commercials. They don’t get prettier and younger and more attractive. So, our mind starts to wander, and where it goes has a deeper, darker pleasure than we had yet tasted. We think that if we keep it to ourselves, and keep on pursuing and attaining like we have been, that it’s going to be alright. Our “real” self is what will matter in the end. This other side is just a pleasurable diversion that doesn’t really count. But God is not mocked, for whatever we sow, we will reap. Everything we do, especially the secret deeds and hidden pleasures, makes us the person that we are. So consider what you think you’re hiding, and see if it goes along with the whole matter of God.
Charge
As we seek Him today, ask God to reveal to you the secret things that do not fit into his plan for you. Confess to Him that there is more of Him available to you than what you are experiencing, and ask God to fill you with His pleasure. Repent if there are secret, evil things in your life.
