1. OUR deeds are in the hands of God... Trust God! Winning man's affection helps but that is not our goal... Cease impressing others.
Lean on God and learn the wise ways of His grace... Stop Earning God's Favor.
- Grace is unearned
- Grace is undeserved
- Grace is unrelenting
- Grace is best enjoyed rather than explained. Be grateful for life and be attentive unto death. Thank God for today.
2. Wisely Prefer to Live In Quietness than in Power and Pomp (7-10)
Enjoy God's favor with a cheerful heart, without guilt and without reservation. (Verse 7)
Enjoy your opportunity to infect others with godly hope. Let the oil of God's approval be your fragrance. (Verse 8)
Enjoy life with the Woman/ Man you love. Enjoy life and your marriage. Resolve to rekindle romance with your wife /husband...verse 9. This is rather interesting for Solomon was known for his wives and concubines. Perhaps many of us envy this kind of a macho lifestyle. As the media and the movies present it, it is not surprising that at one time or another, many of us have secretly longed for it. Well, hear it from Solomon... he said... a woman whom you love... Woman, singular, not women. This kind of enjoyment in the context of marriage is something many have missed, including Solomon. Blessed is he who chooses to enjoy loving and being loved by one woman all his life. Rare and really blessed! This is surely grace from God. Let me outline some non-negotiable ingredients that might help rekindle the flame of romance in marriage. Take a loooong look...
- Time
- Talk
- Touch
- Tenderness
Explore our creativity on earth rather than wait for an eternity in boredom. Use God-given potential to discover and enjoy our uniqueness. Believe me, we shall all be surprised in what God has in store for those who dare walk in faith!
3. Quietly and wisely take the Long Road of Powerlessness rather than the Shortcuts of grabbing Power (11-18)
In wisdom, quietly delight in the design of being powerless in many things. Our expectation that fast will always be first and that the skillful will be wealthy and the wise will be remembered are not always true. No one is prepared to meet the suddenness of life. Tragedy happens without mercy. In other words, we do not pretend or act powerless... we accept it because we are! Man does not know his time. Time and chance give no guarantee. Wisdom chooses the long road of faith. Eugene Peterson said... long term and low profile. In wisdom, we gracefully learn to waltz in anonymity rather than march under the rigid cadence of the powerful.
"The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools."