Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good

1 Peter 4:19
So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Our Lord Yshua warns us of suffering in the Christian life. Miracles do happen and some of the saints do get saved miraculously while others go through the complete suffering sometime with their lives. No one in their right mind asks for suffering. However, Yshua told us that suffering would come so that we can be prepared and thus accept it as part of being His followers. However to accept suffering is only the first part and it is not so that we can boast of the suffering that we withstand. Instead, as this Scripture shows, the reason to prepare for it is so that we will not be overcome by it, and even more, we can continue to do good, that is God's works.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Paul is speaking to believers in saying that we all will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. We know that we are saved by faith in Jesus, not by our own moral standards. Yet we do give an account even though we are saved. So this is a good reminder for us to keep in mind when we deliberately or unconsciously drift away. Though we do fail and sin from time to time, another thing to keep in mind is that we also have an Advocate as our Defender in the person of Jesus Himself.

For God Will Bring Every Work Into Judgment

Typically, times are good when we were young, so the author reminds us to remember God in our youth, for more difficult time will soon follow. But more than just difficult times, the author who calls himself the Preacher, is actually talking about the end of life which we all face. He asks us to remember God, our Creator, since we will return to Him, and life here is just vanity.

The underlying claim about life being vanity is not a pessimistic view, but rather compares our fleeting time in the physical world. The Preacher ends this with a call to "Fear God and keep His commandments", which is what the Word has been calling for throughout. The Preacher recognizes God as the final judge when all our actions will be revealed to God.




Ecclesiastes 12

1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
2 While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all the daughters of music are brought low.
5 Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,[a]
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”


The Whole Duty of Man

9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars[b] are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

So the Lord Surrounds His People

A short psalm but no less in impact. The imagery of the first message is like we too, are like Jerusalem or Mount Zion, steadfast and immovable as we trust in the LORD. The LORD will surround His people like the mountains around Jerusalem, offering protection from every direction.

The call is for us to keep on doing good and be upright, and trust in the LORD's goodness toward us. In contrast, those who continue in their wicked ways will be led away.


Psalm 125
The Lord the Strength of His People
A Song of Ascents.

1 Those who trust in the Lord
Are like Mount Zion,
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.

3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
On the land allotted to the righteous,
Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.

4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
And to those who are upright in their hearts.

5 As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways,
The Lord shall lead them away
With the workers of iniquity.
Peace be upon Israel!