Devotional 2: Everything is meaningless

Read: Ecclesiastes 11, 12
Have you ever tried grasping for the wind? Stupid foolish attempt,
isn't it? But sometimes, that is exactly what we are doing. Most of the time.

We cared so much about our worldly things as if these are what that
will give us eternal happiness and contentment. We cared the most about our
jobs, our achievements in school, our exam results, our business profits,
that we forget about the place for God in our heart and our aspirations. In
the end, all these stuff would decay, and our heart will be unsatisfied,
frustrated by the meaninglessness of it all, because they are not for eternity.

King Solomon should be the luckiest, most happy, most powerful, no
reason for sadness, if the standards of this world that measures wealth and
success is for the truth. He has more gold than enough, many wives and
concubines to satisfy his sexual needs, but yet, he wrote such an
unhappy book that is the Ecclesiastes.

Why ? He declared that 'Everything under the sun is meaningless. A case of
grasping for the wind' Why?? Because he is not only rich and powerful, he is also wise. Wisdom from God. and from such wisdom, he realised that without God, everything is meaningless. As conclusion in Chapter 11 and 12, he wrote that knowing our God, our Creator should be the thing to be pursued the most, starting
from our days of youth, which is now for you and I.

You see, Ai, the fear(respect,love, obedience) of God is the beginning
of wisdom. Only then, would other things fall in place, relevant, and
suitable for enjoyment.

++We have our hope in the anchor that is our Lord Jesus Christ++

May you be encouraged.

Devotional 1: The potter and the clay

Read Jeremiah 18:1-10
Did you notice that I name my journal as 'Journal Jeremiah' ? There is
a reason for it. I was touched by this very passage that I decided to
start a journal that contains inspirations from the word of God, and also
scribblings about my life, my feelings. Why Jeremiah? Because this guy has doubted and God has shown him many
times that he would be useful. This is so similar with young people like us.
We doubted our ability to serve God or be His instrument to touch other
people despite God telling us many times we can.

In Jeremiah 18, the Lord gave a very profound example/message to him
so that he can bring the Lord's message to the people of Israel who have
wronged against God.

What was the message? That God is our potter and we are the clay. We
are shaped according to His plan. Extremely speaking, He can crush is, but
of course, God is a loving one, and an artistic potter, he would shape
and mould us into the best shape He can think of. The solemn point is this:- that God will decide the outcome of our doings, that the blessings he has given us would be taken away, we would disqualified, when we take them for granted, and did wrong in His sight.

Likewise, when we are doomed for punishment, if we REPENT, he will
relent and stop the disaster he has planned. All in all, He is a loving God,
a God who is faithful, and wants us for the best, and is willing to forgive
us if we REPENT. There is a second chance, but we have to take it sincerely.
Similarly, God is also the Holy one, he cannot tolerate unrepented wrongdoings, sins. And for that, we shall be punished.

Conclusion: That we should honor God in things that we do, that we
should repent and confess to Him our sins, and that God as the potter would
shape the best pot out of our clay.

++++I love the Lord because He first loved me++++
>Remember the song? :- Change my heart O God,
> Make it ever true
> Change my heart o God,
> May I be like you
> U are the Potter,
> I am the clay
> Mould me and make me,
> This is what I pray.