How to Choose a Good Name

How to Choose a Good Name
Ecclesiastes 7:8-14
January 26-26, 2025

Ecclesiastes is in many ways a journal that Solomon wrote describing his journey of searching for meaning and purpose, and satisfaction, and joy of life. He's an old man. When he writes this book, he's looking back over the course of his life, and giving us the greatest lesson of his life. The greatest lesson of his life found here. The journal describes his journey is searching for meaning, purpose, satisfaction, and joy, because somewhere at some point in his life, he lost his way. That's why this book is so important.

Everyone is looking for meaning. Everyone needs to find purpose, joy, and significance of life. It answers the deepest questions, "Why am I here? Where do I find this meaning and purpose of life?" Now, we know enough about Solomon's life in history to know when Solomon began to take the wrong path, it was when he began to marry so many foreign women. Now, as we were reading at first, he made a marriage alliance with the King of Egypt and married Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to live in the city of David in Jerusalem.

When you hear that, right away, you think, "That doesn't even sound right." What Pharaoh's daughter is living in Jerusalem in the city of David? She's married to the King of Israel? That doesn't even sound right. "Oh, but that was just the beginning." He then started collecting wise from all of those nations concerning which the Lord has said to the Sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor they with you, for they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." This is what happened. Solomon held fast to these in love, and they turned Solomon's heart from God.

Now, the great tragedy of the story is that, there was a time early in Solomon's life, when he had reached the heights of glory. He is the one who built the temple there in Jerusalem. In the day, it was considered one of the wonders of the world. You could maybe call it or refer to it as The Golden Temple. Oh, the glory. It was magnificent, and he did it for the glory in Honor of God. Then the day that he dedicated the temple, he made this prayer that is like one of the most amazing prayers of dedication given by any King of Israel.

Then he had assembled the people. He stood up and he blessed the people. "Listen to the words of this blessing." Solomon is at the height of glory here. 1 Kings 8:50-60-64, he calls through the people, "Blessed it be the Lord, all people. The Lord who has given rest to his people, Israel, according to all that He has promised." Then he said, "Not one word has failed of all of God's good promises." He's at the heart, the glory, "Israel, listen what God has done. Not one word has failed of all the good words that God has spoken."

According that He spoke to Moses, His servant, "May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our Fathers. May He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to himself." Do this, Lord do this, to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments and statutes, which He commanded our Fathers, and made these words of mine with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God, day at night, that He may maintain the cause of His people, Israel, as each day requires, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord Jehovah is God, and that there is none other."

That's a great. He's at the height of glory here. "Let your heart be holy. He said to the Lord of God to walk in his statues and keep his commandments as it is this day." He's at the height of glory. This is amazing. His own father, David, had said to him, "Solomon, if you would serve Him and with a whole heart and a willing mind, and if you would seek Him, He will let you find him." Oh, Solomon, there's glory here.

When Solomon married all those foreign women and then held faster them in love, he lost his way. Now, it didn't happen all at once. Little by little, year by year, he wandered farther and farther away. Doesn't happen all at once. Over time, he wondered farther and farther until one day, he realized his life is empty. Lost his meaning. He began to search, "Where is meaning and purpose, and life found."

Now, here, is where many people can relate to Solomon's story right here on this point. Perhaps, they had a relationship to God when they were young, but somewhere along the way, they got caught up in the world. Somewhere along the way, they got involved in all the worldly things and began to wander from the Lord, and became a prodigal Son or a daughter, spending their life pursuing all that the world has to offer.

It didn't happen in all at once. Little by little, wandering farther and farther, and farther away until one day, they see it, they're empty. Life has lost its meaning. What is the point? It's all vanity, chasing after the wind. I'll tell you, it's that point right there that God can do a miracle of revival. It's that point right there, when people see that. When they come to the point of saying, "I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to live this way anymore. I want something more. There's something greater and deeper, and more beautiful than this." See, that's why this book is so important.

This book will help you find your way home. It will help you find your way to glory, meaning, purpose, joy that surpasses anything that this world has to offer. Now, it's a journal. He wrote in Chapter 2 as we read through it, all the ways that he pursued meaning and purpose, satisfaction of life by pursuing the things of the world, so many people in the world pursue these things. See, he said, "He went all in with sexual pleasure." Then at the end, he says, "It accomplished nothing. It's all vanity."

He went all in with entertainment and laughter, and satisfying oneself. He said, "It's all vanity, foolishness." He went all in with stimulating his mind with wine. Oh, he went all in, and he said, "It's chasing after the wind, left me empty in void, nothing. There's nothing in it." Building. He went all in with building great projects. Projects of great acclaim. He did it for himself. This measure of great success, vanity. Accumulation of wealth, silver, gold, treasures of kings and provinces.

"Anything my eyes desired, I did not withhold." At the end of it all, he said, "It's meaningless vanity." I'll tell you, "This is a great book." Those who take hold of these lessons of life will save themselves from wasting years of their life. Oh, how many people waste so many years chasing after the wind? He says, "I did it. Please know it's a waste. It's a chasing after the wind. It's empty in void."

Then he began in Chapter 3 to start to give us on this journal, some of the great truths that he discovered, where he spoke at first in Chapter 3 of the frustration of the fact that all of his wisdom, and money, and power, and influence could not stop the passing of time is slipped through his fingers. He has no power. Then the seasons and the events. I have no power over these things. God is the master. Begun to see, God is the master.

Then he added some beautiful words. "God makes all things beautiful in its time. God does this." If you could see it from that perspective, it will change your heart. Then he adds a beautiful understanding. "God has set eternity in your heart, without which man cannot know the work that God has done from the beginning to the end." That's a beautiful depth of understanding. God did that, God put in the heart of men, eternity in the heart, made in the image of God.

He put this in their heart, that there is something in the soul that is searching and longing for something deeper, something more meaningful, something more beautiful and glorious than what this world has. God put it there. There's a searching and a longing for something greater. He has set eternity in your heart. Then he said, "And God has so worked all the events and the seasons, God has so worked all things that you should come to a point. If you could come to the point where you revere God, you must see this."

God has worked all things that you come to this point where you give God glory, and you revere Him. You put God in the place of highest honor. God has worked all things that you would see that. "Man's place," Solomon wrote, "is to revere God and find joy in the life that God has given to you. For this is a gift of God. Find joy in the life that God has given to you." God makes all things beautiful in its time. God does that. It has everything to do with the quality of your soul, the depth of your faith. It's given that man would find joy in the life that God has given.

That brings us to Chapter 7, where Solomon gives some of the wisdom of what it means to find joy and meaning, and purpose of life, has everything to do with the quality of your soul. There's an appointed time to be born. There's an appointed time to die, but how you live between the time that you were born and the appointed time of your death has everything to do with the quality of your soul. You enjoy, meaning purpose, satisfaction of life. Then take hold us from great truths.

Let's read it. We're in Chapter 7. We'll begin in verse 8. "Although he mentions the great theme over all of this-- in verse 1, "A good name is better than good ointment or valuable oil." He means treasure or wealth. "A good name comes from the quality of your soul." Then he begins to describe it in verse 8. "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, for patience of spirit." Now he's describing the soul that abides coming to that point of revering God, patience of spirit abides.

He said it's better than haughtiness, which is an ugly aspect, but then he adds interestingly verse 9, "And do not be eager in your heart to be angry. The quality of your soul," he's describing here, "Anger resides in the bosom of fools. Equality, not quality is quite ugly." Then he says, very interesting in verse 10, "Do not say, why is it that the former days were better than these?" He said, "This is not from wisdom that you asked this." Interesting.

Verse 11, "Wisdom, along with an inheritance is good and an advantage to those who see the sun." In other words, they're alive. Wisdom is protection just like money is protection, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves a life. Wisdom is a great advantage and the lives of its possessors. Then verse 13 is key. "Consider the work of God. Consider the hand of God for who is able to straighten what He has bent, the power of the hand."

Then he says, "Now, in the day of prosperity, be happy. In the day of adversity, consider God has made one as well as the other." These are the verses as I mentioned. We'll look at the other verses around this at the Wednesday service, but I want us to take hold of these great truths. You want quality, joy, meaning purpose. Understand these are some deeper truths. Starting with that theme, he mentions in verse 1, "A good name is better, better to be chosen." He means here better than wealth.

I. A Good Name is Better to be Chosen

Now, Solomon had wealth. He understood, he had more wealth than any living person. He understood this. In fact, he says the same thing in Proverbs 22:1. "A good name is known as more to be desired. Desire, pursuing, everyone's pursuing. Pursue this, "A good name is more to be desired than great wealth." He understood wealth, favor of God is better than silver and gold. Where does a good name come from? He's speaking of the quality of your soul. You want meaning, you want joy, you want purpose has to do with the quality of your soul.

Where does that come from? Where does a good name come from? It comes from the content of your character, content of your soul, but where does the content of your character, where does the content of your soul come from? Now, it doesn't come from seeking a good name by itself. It comes from seeking the good name of the Lord Jesus Christ, seeking the name of the Almighty. In other words, don't do thus, and so just to give so that people will have a good impression of you. No, that is seeking a good name for one's own glory. We were never made to seek our own glory.

Now, God set eternity in your heart. God worked all things that you would find your way to His glory in that place. There in the nearness of God, in the shadow of the Almighty, there, God does a beautiful work on the soul, and that beautiful work of God on the soul is where the content of your character, the content of your soul comes from. This is one of the most important truths found in the entire Bible. That that work that God desires to do, that transforming work that God desires to do, is a beautiful work.

The content of your character, that which God does desires to bring the soul to that place where the glory of God dwells. Quality of soul comes from that. You want joy, want quality of life, meaning, purpose. He then describes what it is to have such a soul like that. Notice, in verse 8, he speaks of the quality of patience. Those with a good name are patient of spirit because patience is a quality of a beautiful soul.

Have you met anyone, do you know anyone is very, very patient? You know that it's a beautiful quality and it's a quality of God's own heart. God Himself is patient, a quality that we all very much appreciate that He's patient with us. Patience is not something you achieve by the power of your own self. It's the fruit of the spirit of the living God. It comes from dwelling there in that place of God's glory transforming the soul. Patience is a beautiful quality because it's the quality of God's heart.

You can see it all over the Scriptures. One great example I think is that the Scripture describes the Lord was patient with Israel for 490 years. What I mean by this is that He had commanded Israel to give the land a Sabbath rest every seven years. This, they did not do. He waited 400, patiently waited 490 years, at the end of which God gave the land its 70 years of rest. The 70 years that they had missed. When Israel was taken into captivity into Babylon, and it tells us, "But God waited and was patient 490 years."

A. Those with a good name are patient of Spirit

Patience is a quality of God's heart and God's quality of heart He desires to pour out into your heart. Patience is a beautiful aspect. Patience is an aspect of love. God is love. Patience is having everything to do with how we relate, how we interact with the people around us. Patients is about not being irritated and irritable over every irritation and imperfection of life. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but people can be very irritating. Patience is a beautiful quality.

Notice how Paul writes it. This is interesting. In Colossians 3:12-13, he says, "Now, so as those who have been chosen in God, holy and beloved, put on this." Now, he's going to describe these qualities that are beautiful qualities of the soul. "Put this on." Now, you're not born with this. Put this on. Notice as those holy and beloved, chosen of God put on the heart of compassion. It's beautiful. Kindness, beautiful. Humility, gentleness, and then patience. Again, it's a quality of your beautiful work that God does. Put this on.

You're not born with that. We're born very impatient. Put this on, patience. Then he describes what it looks like, bearing with one another like forbearance, patience, forgiving each other, even offenses. People offend you, hurt you, forgiving each other. Whoever has a complaint against anyone. Oh, there's always something to complain about. People are imperfect, irritating, difficult. Whoever has a complaint with anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, you also should forgive. It's a quality of God's heart. That's beautiful.

See, it reminds me of when Peter came to Jesus one day and says, "Lord, how often shall my brother offend me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Now, as I mentioned before, I think that Peter thought that he was saying something magnanimous, something wonderful. "How many times did my brother offend me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" I mean, after all, the cultural expectation of the day was three strikes and you're out. We have that today, maybe not officially three, but it's like that.

Someone offends you, like, "Hey, don't do that." Then they do it again. "Hey, you did that again." Then the third time, "You know what, you're done." We're like that. Culturally, we're like that. Peter says magnanimously, "How many times my brother offend and I forgive? Up to seven times?" Again, I think he was thinking maybe that Jesus would commend him. "Oh, Peter, I always knew you were the amazing one. I always knew you had it in you. You were the one that, you were the great one."

No. Jesus says, "I do not say to you up to 7 times, I say to you up to 70 times 7," by the way, which is 490. An interesting number. We could go even deeper into that number. It's an interesting thing that Jesus said, "I did not say 7, I say to you 70 times 7." Forgive, my brother offend me, and I forgive 490 times. How do you even keep track of that? You need an app for that.

I was thinking, here's an idea I have. I think I'm going to make an app, I'm going to call it, forgiveness 490x.

Are you with me on this? Forgiveness 490x, and this is, it'll be free. This is what the app will do. You can write the names of everybody who's offended you, and then every time that you forgive them, you can write it down. That way, you can keep track. Then you'll know when you finally hit 490, and then you can get angry and let it all go.

490x, forgiveness 490x. What do you think? I should do it?

How about I think so?

I don't think that's what Jesus meant. And I'll write it on the app. That's not what He meant.

What He meant was your brother offended you, it hurt, it was wrong, but forgiveness is beautiful on the soul, and God's heart is to forgive. Put this on your heart, your soul, forgive because it's God's heart. You, though hurt, choose to honor God by forgiving, so you forgive them. That's one. Then they offend again, and so you, because God's heart is that forgiveness is beautiful on the soul and you want to honor God in your life, so you choose to forgive again. That's two.

Then they offend you again and you, wanting to honor God because he says, forgiveness is the quality of God's heart, put this on. You say, I want to honor God, so you forgive. That's three. We're going to be here a while. You forgive again. This is the thing, you choose out of honor to God, to forgive. You choose again to forgive. You choose and you choose, and you choose until you don't have to choose anymore, because you have been transformed by all of that forgiving. You are now a forgiving person. It's now put onto your soul. Let's give the Lord praise. It's exactly right.

B. Those with a good name are slow to anger

It is the quality. You want joy? Put on a beautiful soul like this. It comes from dwelling in the nearness of God. Then interestingly in verse 9, he gives another aspect that are very closely connected. "Those with a good name, quality of the soul, they are slow to anger." Notice verse 9, "Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools." Now, again, very plain spoken. I think when you get older, you start speaking a little more plainspoken. He's plainspokenly saying, look, anger resides in the bosom of fools. It's an ugly aspect.

Joy's not found there. No meaning or purpose in this. You regret things you say and do. It resides in the bosom. It means in the inner man and the content of the soul. Now, patience is the opposite. This is why they're so connected. Patience residing in the soul is beautiful. Anger residing is ugly. It's an ugly aspect of life. Don't do this, he says. You want meaning and joy. Those who have no patience for the imperfections and irritations, and offenses, often lash out with angry words. They can't hold it in check.

Those who choose a good name, those who choose to abide in the nearness of God, find that peace and patience go together into beautiful soul. Those without peace or patience are quick tempered. Often, they get angry quickly in a flash. Why? It's because they're easily offended. They take irritations and imperfections personally. That thing that abides there in the bosom of the soul, it's right there. It's right there, and it quickly flashes. That's why he wrote in another place. Proverbs 29:11, "A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back."

You check that thing. That thing, that ugly thing is there's no quality of life in that. James says a similar word, James 1:19-20, "Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." Cannot achieve. Not only does the anger of man not achieve the righteousness of God, it's an ineffective way to live, and it's an ineffective way to love. The anger of man, it comes from the flesh.

Now, we all understand the flesh. We all have an aspect of the flesh, right? The anger of man comes from the flesh, and it's oftentimes the flesh that rises up first, right? Something happens, something, irritation or offense. It's the flesh that rises up the first. Here's an example. You're driving about, and somebody cuts you off in traffic. It isn't your gracious spirit that rises up first. Someone cuts you off and say, "Oh, bless you, brother, you must be in a hurry. Please take my lane."

No, no, it's your flesh that rises up first, somebody cuts you off and you go, "Ah. I know all about this. I read about it."

Proverbs gives the answer. Notice what he says here. Proverbs 16:32. This is good. This is a good verse. "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty." That is a good word. Power, strength, strength of a soul. He can check that thing. That thing is an ugly aspect. He can check it. How? Where does he get this power? You're not born with it. You get it from abiding in the nearness of God. You get it from abiding in the glory. That place where God does the beautiful work, that's where you get it to check that thing.

That thing by which if you don't check it will make you say things you regret, do things that hurt people that you love. Why would you hurt people you love? Just because you couldn't check that ugly aspect. Any power? Any power? You weren't born with it. God will give it to you when you abide there. He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty. He who can rule his own spirit is better than he who can capture a city. Oh, he who captures a city is a mighty warrior. Yes, but he who can rule his own spirit is greater.

II. Wisdom in Life is a Great Advantage

Then he gives this, very interesting, you want joy, you want meaning, you want purpose? Wisdom of life is a great advantage. Notice how he says it in verse 11 and 12, "Wisdom along with an inheritance is good," fine, and an advantage to those under the sun. The advantage of knowledge is that wisdom will give life. It's true. Inheritance can be of great advantage, but it cannot be compared to wisdom. Wisdom of life has everything to do with the quality of your soul. Many cannot buy that. It's greater advantage to you.

Then he gives an interesting example of the wisdom of life. How you perceive, how you see the events of life. He says, and notice in verse 10, "Do not say, why is it that the former days were better than these? It's not from wisdom that you asked this." In other words, do not long for the good days of the past. People do this. Some trouble, something, and they're in the midst of some turbulence, and they, "Oh, remember the good old days?"

You know how we are. We're very nostalgic of the old days, the good old days. Problem is we have selective memory. We like to remember the days of the past from the good highlights. We forget all the troubles. This is such a great verse for those going through a time of trouble, going through a difficulty and they don't know when it's going to end. This trouble, this thing, I don't know when it-- I'm in the midst of it. I don't know when it's going to end, and so you long for the days of the past, the good old days.

Reminds me of Israel, when God rescued them from the oppression and the slavery in Egypt, brought them to the desert where they could be free and on their way to the promised land. There in the desert, God made a provision for them to have manna. How do you feed 2 million plus people in the desert for 40 years? It's a miracle, though. Manna would fall like dew in the morning, and they could go out in the morning and get manna for the day's provisions. It tells us in the Scriptures that it tasted good. Like honey would coriander seed, like Krispy Kreme donuts, they tasted their good, but they're good for you.

Problem is they got tired of manna, "All we ever eat is manna. Manna in the morning, manna in the evening, manna in the noontime, manna, manna, manna." How much can you do with manna? Manna bread, manna pancakes, manna meatloaf, manna cotti. "We're tired of it. Manna, manna, manna, we're tired of it." It says that they became a people who complained of adversity in the hearing of the Lord. It's very important insight. They became a people who complained of adversity in the hearing of the Lord, "We're tired of it."

A. Do not long for the good days of the past

Then they began to wish for the good old days, the good old days when they were in Egypt. "Oh, don't you remember the cucumbers, and the leeks, and the garlic, and the onions, and the fish? Oh, the good old days when we were in Egypt." "You mean the days when you were so oppressed that you were crying out to God? You mean those good old days? Oh, how we forget. Don't say this," he says. "It's a wisdom of life. Don't say this."

I remember when this whole pandemic thing started several years ago. At first, they said, "Oh, these restrictions are only going to be for two weeks." I remember somebody said to me a few weeks after all this happened, they said in a moment of frustration, "I want my life back." I just felt like the Lord put it on my heart to say, "We don't get our life back. We get our life forward. There's more in front of us. Life is in front of us. The path is in front of you. Life is in front of you."

When Jerusalem was destroyed and then Israel was exiled to Babylon, imagine how many Jews in Babylon would've said, "I want my life back. I want things to be the way they were." God sent a prophet, the Prophet Jeremiah, with a word to encourage them. He said, "Now, when 70 years have been completed in Babylon, I will visit you. I will fulfill my good word to you, and I will bring you back to this place."

There is where we get some of the most famous words that we quote often, we put them on plaques and on cards, but it's important to see it in its context, Jeremiah 29:11. It was in that context where they were saying, "I want my life back," that He gave this word. "I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans have to do with the future. Plans for welfare, for good, not for calamity. To give you a future, to give you a hope." The race is in front of you. God has a future in store and a hope in store for us. It's backward, it's not forward.

You don't run your race backward. You run your race forward. After those 70 years were completed, and Israel returned to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, at first, they were so discouraged because the city was mounted of rubble, but then slowly, they began to rebuild, restore, rock by rock they built until one day, even the temple in Jerusalem was restored, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't the glorious temple.

It says that when they had set up the temple, the young ones were rejoicing, "The temple of God is finally restored in Jerusalem," Yerushalayim. The old ones, some of them old enough to remember says, "You have no idea. You have no idea of the glory, the wonder. You have no idea." God sent a Prophet Haggai Chapter 2:3-7-9, where he said this-- it's a great word.

He said, "Who is left among you who saw the temple in his former glory? How do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison? 'But take courage,' declares the Lord, 'for I am with you. I will shake the nations. I will fill this house with glory,' declares the Lord of hosts. 'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former glory, and I will give peace in this place.'"

We know this is so. The Scripture describes there is a greater glory. You have no idea. One day the King of Israel, the Messiah of the Lord will step foot in the temple of the living God. Oh, that day the Redeemer lives, this King of kings and Lord of lords will enter into the temple. The glory of the latter days will be greater than the glory of the former days. Amen. Should we give God praise? Amen.

B. Consider the hand of God

In other words, there's more glory in front of you than there is behind. I love it the way Paul wrote it in Philippians 3:13-14. He says, "One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." There's more glory in front of you. Then he answers in verse 13, very, very important verse, "You want meaning, you want purpose, you want joy? Then consider the work of God." He means consider the hand of God who constrain in what he has bent. The power of that hand.

Never forget the hand of God. It's the hand that moves in ways you cannot see but when the hand of God moves on in your life, it's the hand of blessing, it's the hand of favor. Who constrain in what He has bent, the power of God. Never forget the hand of God. Do you want joy, meaning, purpose? God's hand changes everything. God delights to show himself strong in your behalf.

Notice 2 Chronicle 16:9. I don't know if you have life verses. This is one of my life verses. I love this verse. The eyes of the Lord search to and from. He's searching. He's looking. The eyes of the Lord search to and from throughout the whole earth in order to show himself strong in behalf of those whose heart is completely His. The Hebrew there, the heart that is completely his is the word Shalom. You know this word, Shalom. Peace.

Those who have a heart where peace of God abides, the eyes of the Lord range to and from searching. He is looking for those in whom He can show His strength. Never forget the hand of God. Changes everything. God has so worked all things that you would revere Him. Come to that point. I like the way Paul writes it in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. God's power is perfected in weakness. I would rather boast about my weakness so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. For when I'm weak, then I'm strong, not by my strength, by His strength abideth in me.

Never forget the hand of God. It changes everything. I think in illustration of this, maybe it's a small silly illustration, but I mentioned last week that when I was going to Bible college, at one point I was taking two Greek classes at once, along with theology and other very difficult classes. I had two jobs and a family. I'm trying to balance it all. It was physically impossible to prepare for all my classes. Just could not do it.

One of those Greek classes was called Rapid Greek Reading. The way it worked was, you come to class and you put on your desk a Greek New Testament. That's all you can do. You put the Greek New Testament on your desk. He assigned several chapters to prepare, and then the professor would randomly call on people to read out of those chapters, translating directly from the Greek. If you made a mistake, you lose a point. I could not do it. It was too much.

I was taking two Greek classes at once. I was studying Greek while taking theology notes. I couldn't do it. I would come in class. I had prepared when I could prepare. I gave it my all. There's only so much I could do. I gave it my all. I did not complain. I don't want to be like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord. I'm not going to complain. I'm going to give him my all, but there's only so much I can do. The interesting thing was during that entire semester, I was never once called to translate Greek from a section that I had not prepared. Never once. That's a miracle, every day. Amen.

It's a small illustration, but the point of it is this, all your self-effort will bring you only as far as your self-effort. God will meet you in your insufficiency and make His power known. You want joy? You want meaning? You want purpose? Never forget the hand of God. For when the hand of God moves, He changes everything. Psalm 127:1-2, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain." It's vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors for it is He who gives to His beloved even while he sleeps.

Do you not know? You want meaning? You want purpose? Do you want joy? Do not forget the hand of God. Today, I'm old enough now to look back. I have seen God do some amazing things in my life. God has proven Himself to me over and over, and over. Oh, God has done amazing things in my life. I'll tell you, I know this, God is not done yet. He has done amazing things. He is doing amazing things and He will continue to do amazing things for there's more glory in front of us than there is behind us. Can we give Him our praise?

Lord, we are so thankful for revealing such great truths. We are all seeking for meaning and purpose, and joy of life but where is it found? God has set eternity in your heart. The Spirit draws you. God has worked all things so that man would come to that one point of discovering the revering of God, the glory of God. It's only there but your soul is transformed. It's only there with the beautiful things of God reside upon the soul.

Church, if you would say to the Lord, today, do that in me, God. There are aspects of my life that are quite ugly. I don't like them. I don't want them. I want to be transformed. Do that in me, God. I want that which comes from your presence in my life. The glory, the honor, the beauty of what you would do. I want that patience, that peace, that compassion. I want to be transformed. I know where it is found and I ask God that you would do that in me. I need this. There are things in my life I don't like. Things that are quite ugly, I want them gone. I want that what you would do in my life.

Church, is that your prayer? Would you just raise your hand as a way of praying asking God for that? God, I need this. I'm asking for this from You. You do this in me, God. Only you, only your hand. I need that. I'm asking for that, God. Lord, we are so thankful for showing us the way of life. We say to you, do this Lord, pour out your Spirit, your glory upon the church. Let the church be the beautiful church called to be because You poured Your Spirit of life out upon us. We give You glory and honor and praise in Jesus name and everyone say--