January 28, 2007 | Ecclesiastes 7:10

Listen to this Sermon? (mp3, 5.7mb)
Please right-click link, "Save Target As" to save to your computer

Henry Ford once said, " Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success." It's the readiness factor. But what is that we have to be ready for? Each weekday morning we get up and ready ourselves for the same ritual that we did many times before. Nothing seems to be different, but sometimes their are subtle differences that we dismiss from our minds because what needs to be done is more important.

Are we really ready for what life dishes out or we riding this planet like the wind, changing to suit the environment, blowing over the hills of disappointment and through the valleys of loneliness with the hope that some cherry tree of hope is just around the corner? We may have to deal with the pits but the sweet taste of success makes it all seem worth it. But then success makes all the past problems disappear temporarily from our minds. It is times like this that we cherish and long for.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 Don't long for "the good old days," for you don't know whether they were any better than these! TLB

I think that is what a lot of us do on a Monday morning, long for the days when we were happier and times when we got things done and were rewarded for them.

But sometimes we can look back and find the same strength for today, that we received then. But how did we get that strength to endure. Where did it come from?

I remember verbal fights I have had in my past. You know the ones, where each person later on has a different viewpoint as to what really was said. Maybe that other person remembers one bad thing or slam you made against them. But they forgot all the numerous slams they made against you. You were the fall guy for that conversation, even though in your mind, they were definitely the instigator and the blame for the bad day was mostly their fault. You were blamed by others for making the bad day because that other person got to talk about that day with others and they, as misguided as they were, got upset with you for being so mean. Sound familiar?

Now in remembering things like this, it makes you want to scream, not because you want to but because there is still that resentment, still that anger over not being represented well by others because you feel that, for whatever reason people loved that other jerk more than they loved you. It is a shame really, but just another part of what life dishes out.

This is not to make you feel depressed or to unearth that anger streak that all of us have but want to deny. It is to point out how extremely important it is to try to forget the past. Leave it behind in the dust of it's fury, wake up and smell the coffee or roses, depending on your frame of mind and get ready for a better life.

Just imagine all the times you have spent complaining about past injustices. Now think about taking all of that time and using it to ready yourself for the future, and you could have been the richest person in the world or darn close. The reason being is that you would have been ready for many contingencies and your life would have been more fruitful than the one you are living now.

Ezra 8:21 Then I declared a fast while we were at the Ahava River so that we would humble ourselves before our God; and we prayed that he would give us a good journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. TLB

You may have heard of the famous phrase, "The more things change, the more they stay the same". I think what this statement eludes to is no matter how we would like to change, or change about ourselves, there is this essence of ourselves we can never get rid of. Some may call it our soul, or insightful tendency. But yet it can be our most powerful ally, because it is a learned response to the world around us that quite often will keep us safe.

What is it that you cherish most? Is it the happy times? Is it being with someone you truly love with all your mind, body, and soul? Or is it the presence of mind that makes the inner pieces of life's puzzle seem to fit perfectly? Maybe it is all three to varying degrees? Think on these things when you are feeling depressed on a Monday morning.

Also think about God and His creation and realize that without God, nothing would truly exist. Nothing would be at all.

Some people blame God for some great wrongs. But yet it can be summed up in human nature that dictates what is going to happen, unbeknownst to our very limited personal perspective on the happenings of life.

In other words, be ready for the good times and the bad. And how do you do that? Pray to God and ask Him for insight. Ask Him for guidance. And not just once a day, but throughout the 24 hour period we refer to as a day. Your journey with God will be one of fruitfulness and love. Let God be your ready insight into all that is good and fruitful.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I often stray from your path and I seldom ready myself to get back on the path. Help me back on the road to a fruitful life and give me your love and understanding. I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2007 Bryan Hill

More Sermons