Something Better To Do

The preacher where I attended once encourage folks to participate in the Wednesday evening Bible studies, but he ended his invitation with the words, "…unless you have something better to do." His tone did not seem sarcastic, but genuine. And yet, I don't believe that he thought there were better things to do.

When visiting another congregation we noticed quite a lot of distracting activity in the lobby on a Wednesday evening during Bible class. We were also distracted by a hedge trimmer outside the building. Someone later explained that these people were all busy in various 'ministries.' Their timing seemed odd. Perhaps they had nothing better to do.

Fill in the blank:
For me, it is better to ________ than it is to spend time with other Christians in the study God’s word and in fellowship. 

Now, let's not play games and come up with a clever justification like “stay at home when sick,” or “tend to my dying mother,” etc. Rather, place in the blank the reason for the last time that you chose not to attend Bible study.

Truly, my purpose is not to generate false guilt. Rather, it is to encourage you to evaluate your attitude toward Bible study in the scheduled assembly. If you do feel guilty, it should be for the right reason.

No one gets a gold star, bonus points, or a jewel in a heavenly crown for regular attendance. A person with perfect attendance could still have a poor attitude toward Bible study. So, evaluate yourself. What is important to you? (Your past accurately answers.)

I am astounded at the number of times that I ask, "How are you doing today?" and the immediate reply is, "I'm tired." How many of you decide that your are too tired to attend Bible study? I cannot judge your situation, but I wonder why so many people are so tired… all…the…time. I guess there are lots of things that are better to do.

This is not meant to sound like parental nagging, but rather, a kick in the seat of the pants kind of encouragement. Yes, there are legitimate reasons for people to miss, and, yes, Jesus is not our featured teacher. But, if you can participate in our regularly scheduled Bible studies but choose not to, I can only say, "Martha, Martha."

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” 

—Luke 10:38–40 (NASB95)

You don’t need to explain your situation to me. Yet, if you life is full of distractions, you might want to bring it to God's attention and ask for help. There is value in choosing the good part, unless, perhaps, you have something better to do.

Mark Stinnett

August 27, 2023

You are in Pursuit of What?

After God had delivered Israel from Egypt, Moses asked God to personally lead Israel. God agreed because Moses found favor in God’s sight. Then, almost as a childlike request, Moses blurted out, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” In other words, Moses asked to see God face to face. (Exodus 33:12-20)

Abraham was called an “alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob.” He was faithful to God because “he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)

David was chosen by God to be king over Israel after Saul. God declared His reason for choosing David: “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart….” (1 Samuel 13:14)

Not only was David in pursuit of God so he could be like God, he wrote, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4-6)

Jesus and his disciples stayed in the home of Martha. “She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations….” (Luke 10:38-40)

Peter kept his eyes focused upward “looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13)

The Apostle Paul revealed his inner desire “that I may know Him [Christ] and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

I find it illuminating that none of these people of faith expressed a desire to be reunited with a family member in the afterlife or sit and converse with Noah or quiz God. None of them brought the things of God down to man’s plane of existence. They all reached upward to God, upward to Christ. In one way or another they all revealed their pursuit of the divine.

What about you??

Men and women of true faith had their gaze set on God. They looked forward to heavenly things. Those who had the privilege of being part of the new covenant had their eyes fixed on Jesus, “the author and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)

These people were not concerned about their retirement. They didn’t focus on their houses and property and possessions. As much as they loved their family members, they understood the temporal nature of this life, including family.

They were not like Lot’s wife who could not bear leaving her home of Sodom and was compelled to look back when it was destroyed. The promise of an eternal city captured their imaginations. With unwavering faith they endured hardship. They accepted injustices from those who could not understand their faith. Death was understood to be a necessary doorway passing from this life to eternity.

The Apostle John was given a view of the eternal city of God. It is immense in size offering shelter and all the necessities of life. God is the light. There is the river of life (water) and the fruit-bearing tree of life (food). All will wear clean robes. In the afterlife true LIFE is found.

What are you pursuing??

Mark Stinnett

August 20, 2023

Nothing is Better than Something??

Have you ever heard the expression, “It’ll feel better when it quits hurting”? It is a silly way of saying that the absence of pain is better than pain. I know, it’s a kind of an “Oh, duh” thing.

If you’ve kept up with this blog in recent weeks, you’ve noticed a common theme: odd statements from Ecclesiastes. If you’ve read the past four blog entries, you should have noticed something else: All of these strange statements are understandable when viewed from Solomon’s perspective.

Solomon intentionally, and wisely, limited his search for meaning to the material universe. After all, he too was a part of the material universe. So, he could not speak about anything or anyone beyond the physical universe. He could not speak for God unless he was given God’s words to speak.

Solomon’s search for meaning ended poorly; he found no meaning within the limitations of the material universe. He also observed the activities of mankind “under the sun,” that is, man’s activities carried out on this earth. That too had a rather negative outcome as expressed in another startling statement in Ecclesiastes in which he compared the living and the dead:

But better than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun. 

—Ecclesiastes 4:3

The fourth chapter began with Solomon writing, “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun.” This is one of many injustices that Solomon observed and reported. Yet, it sounds worse than simply saying that there are many injustices in life. It sounds as if life was full of injustices in Solomon’s day.

Solomon considered all the injustices, the acts of oppression of man, and then “congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living.” (v. 2) Do you understand Solomon’s reasoning; his point of view?

Solomon was saying that death resolved the pain experienced by those who were being oppressed. Death felt better because the oppression of life quit hurting. If a person cannot look beyond the material universe, then Solomon’s reasoning makes logical sense.

Solomon reasoned a step further. The one who has never existed is better off still. His simple reasoning is that the non-existent one will have never had to endure any kind of oppression in life on the earth.

Even admitting that his reasoning makes sense, it sounds defeating. And yet, that is what we are supposed to think. We are supposed to be dissatisfied with Solomon’s observations even though they are reasonable. That is the whole point of the book. When man looks at life in the material universe and cannot find answers and cannot find meaning, he ought to despair of life...but not give up! Rather, he should ask, “Is there something beyond this universe?” Solomon explained that God “so worked,” that is, made the universe the way He did, SO THAT, man would come to this conclusion about his existence within the material universe. (3:14) Man would then be forced by his own reasoning to look beyond the universe to his Creator. In humble awe and reverence created man would then be ready to listen to the Creator’s revelation from beyond. All of the negative things written in Ecclesiastes are meant to drive man, not to despair, but in reverent awe to his God.


Mark Stinnett

August 13, 2023

The Fate of Men and Beasts

Solomon wrote some rather startling things in the book of Ecclesiastes. It is understandable why some people have doubted its place in the Bible. Yet, perhaps the problem is not with the book but our perspective. Here’s another of Solomon’s startling statements:

For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.

—Ecclesiastes 3:19 (NASB95)

There are two parts of this verse that are puzzling. First, did Solomon suggest that our lives are subject to fate in which our lives are locked in to a pre-determined path?

Many English translations use the word fate in this verse. Even more confusing is the New English Bible which refers to death as a mischance, which means, bad luck. 

What does it all mean?

The Hebrew word translated fate in the verse quoted above literally means happening. It was a general way to indicate that something simply happened. It was used to describe Ruth gleaning in the field belonging to Boaz (Ruth 2:3). No one told her to go to that field; she just happened to go there. The word suggests a sense of chance, but not chance as it relates to probabilities.

So, Solomon literally wrote that “that which happens to the sons of men and that which happens to the beasts is the same.” He went on to say that they both die. So, he was not talking about choices made in life, or about events that are inevitably locked in by some mysterious cosmic force (like the Fates of Greek mythology) but simply the final outcome of life...death. So, death happens to man and death happens to beasts. That’s all he meant.

The second puzzling part of the verse is Solomon’s statement that “there is no advantage for man over beast.” That sounds like people are just like my dog Rover; he died and he’s dead all over. In other words (sorry pet lovers), animals just die, and that’s all there is. Disney got it wrong; all dogs go to heaven isn’t true.

Did Solomon really mean that it is the same for mankind? What about the assurances of the afterlife found in the New Testament?

Once again, we must be very careful interpreting Solomon’s words. Unless his perspective is taken into consideration, he is likely to be misunderstand.

Remember that the book of Ecclesiastes is a kind of report of Solomon’s search for meaning. He set out on a mission to find meaning in life but he was aware that he was limited to the physical universe. Solomon knew that he could not bring anything new into the material universe that was not already there. Nor could he remove anything. After all, he was himself a part of the material universe. He acknowledged God, but he could not bring God into his search because God was beyond the material universe.

So, Solomon’s statement must be understood in light of the limitations of his search. If you compare the outcome of the life of humans and beasts within the limitations of the material universe, both die. Without considering anything beyond the limitations of the universe, humans have no advantage over animals. Both came from dust and both return to dust.

All that we know about divine judgment and the afterlife was not discovered by man (not even Solomon). These things have been revealed from beyond the material universe. They are revealed by God.

Mark Stinnett

August 6, 2023