Sunday Recap 1-23-11

Morning:  The sermon, "Difficulties in Life," examined Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:6. After a lifetime of racking his brain for answers, Solomon concluded there are some things that are difficult to grasp.  While his list is not exhaustive, it includes:

• Humanly speaking, there is no way to figure out what God is up to.  He has to reveal his will to us, or else we can never guess it.
• Our actions don't ensure the desired outcome. Doing all the right things doesn't mean that life will go smoothly.
• Death is the only sure thing.  Everybody dies.
• Sometimes, we lack the sense to see death coming and make the appropriate arrangements.

Faith enables us to navigate the difficulties of life, and still cling to the Lord Jesus.  Solomon was sure that God was at work even though he wasn't sure of much else.  We, too, can trust the Lord in difficult times.

Evening:  Tonight we looked at the life of Jacob from Genesis 28:10-36:43.  Some of the principles we glean from Jacob's life:

• God's promises rest on his character, not the character of those he calls.
• We need to make spiritual markers.
• Don't worry about what you will eat or what you will wear (see Matthew 6:25-33).
• You reap what you sow (see Galatians 6:7).
• If you can't be with the one you love, love the one your with.  Jacob's lack of love for Leah brought about great heartache and pain for her, her sister, their servants, and their children.
• The Lord looks after his people.
• If we want to experience happiness, we need to shift our focus to God.
• Prayer transforms those who pray.
• God humbles those he chooses to use.
• Vigilante justice fails to bring true justice.
• Revisit the places and events where God has revealed himself to you.