TOPIC: God Knows All Things And Will Call To Account
TEXT: Ecclesiastes 3:16-22(NKJV)
16. Moreover I saw under the sun: [In] the place of judgment, Wickedness [was] there; And [in] the place of righteousness, Iniquity [was] there.
17. I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For [there is] a time there for every purpose and for every work.”
18. I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are [like] animals.”
19. For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all [is] vanity.
20. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
21. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?
22. So I perceived that nothing [is] better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that [is] his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
Daily Fountain Devotional 22 September 2020 Today’s Message
STUDY: In continuation of our thoughts yesterday, Solomon was asking ‘How can God be in control when there is so much evil in our world, with the wicked prospering in their sin and the righteous suffering in their obedience?’ (vs. 16 &17). He responded with two sure statements: God has a time for everything, including judgment (Eccl. 8:6, Eccl. 8:11), and God is working out His eternal purposes in and through the deeds of humans, even the deeds of the wicked. God will judge when history has run its course, though He is judging now (v.18). In the experiences of life, God is testing humans. (The word ‘test’ – barur- literally means “to sift or to winnow.”) God is revealing what man is really like; He is sifting him. For, when man leaves God out of his life, he becomes like an animal. He lives like a beast and dies like a beast.
Child of God, it is true evil surrounds us day-by-day. We see things happen that question not only the existence of God, but also His love for us. It is not that God is not in control, He is only allowing the wicked to have a time for an amendment of life, without which judgement will come. Then in the wisdom of God, He brings out beauty and good out of life’s ugliness and evil. Be patient with God and continually trust Him. He shall surely turn your life around for good, and you will forget your present sorrow. He has power over all situations and circumstances; yours cannot be out of His control. All you need now is to continue to trust Him to lead on. Obey His command, even when it seems not easy. Forgive, persevere, be kind, even when the recipients do not deserve these from you. And at the end, it shall be your victory and breakthrough.
PRAYER: Time goes by swiftly and gets away from us, but God keeps track of it and will, at the end of time, call into account what we have done with time.
DAILY QUOTE: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)
Daily Fountain Devotional 22 September 2020 – The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptized membership, after the Church of England. It gives its current membership as “over 18 million”, out of a total Nigerian population of over 200 million.