The End Of The Matter!

Reading:  Ecclesiastes 9 - 12
My Verse:  "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14).

Often while reading Ecclesiasties I find myself feeling discouraged, then I realize it is  Solomon's emotion coming through with which I am empathizing.  Yes, he may have been the wisest man ever but there is such sorrow, a realization that he missed the mark by pursuing the wrong thing.  You, LORD God truly blessed him, he could have had an amazing life but slowly he squandered it.  In the end all he could say was "All is vanity."

Heard a great sermon last Sunday that spoke of "The Permanent Record."  The speaker started off with secrets that we all keep.  He was at a conference of army chaplains. The leader asked everyone to write down all their secrets.  The leader then read them out loud. This speaker said it was shocking what the chaplains wrote - lying, cheating, pornography, adultery . . .  He then spoke of a rather funny thing that all those of a certain age remember - that is the threat held over students heads about misbehavior getting put into "the permanent record."  Of course we all came to realize there is no such thing in school records and yet it was something that kept many from doing something they would later regret.  There isn't that in our lives today.  People do many awful things in secret - thinking no one knows.

But, in the end of all things "God will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."

The speaker posed the question, "So is there a permanent record?"

A careful reading of the Bible shows that there is.  You, LORD God tell us many times that all will be known in the end.

"The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man" (Psalm 33:13).

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13).

"Does He not see my ways and count my every step?" (Job 31:4).

"The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" (Proverbs 15:3).

"My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes" (Jeremiah 16:17).

Oh, LORD God, the idea of the permanent record actually had a biblical base!  Because of our sinful nature we need to know that there is a permanent record of what we do - whether evil or good.

But most wonderful of all is that You do not keep those accounts against us if we confess our sin.  You forgive us our sins and blot them out!  (Isaiah 43:5).

It is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we have forgiveness.  For only the blood of Jesus can wipe away our  sin.  It is only in and through Christ  "in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians:1:14).

Thank You, LORD God, for this amazing grace!  In the end of the matter we can truly be free of those sins that can bind us - that awful permanent record of our sin.  Praise You, LORD God for Your unending love and mercy!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!