enjoyment – La Vista Church of Christ

Live Joyfully!

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 04 May 2024 20:58:53 +0000

by Paul Earnhart
via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No 2, February 2015

Text: Ecclesiates 9:1-12

The Preacher concluded the eighth chapter with another of his oft-repeated observations that God's ways are inscrutable to men, however wise (Ecclesiastes 8:17). Job, in his misery, twice asks plaintively: "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?" (Job 28:12, 20). He then answers his own question: "God understands its way, and He knows its place" (Job 28:23). What then are we to do? He answers again: "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28). Only to the degree God has revealed His plan to us can we understand. The rest is shrouded, and for that, we must trust Him. This, too, is Solomon's unchanging answer to his repeated failures to grasp the nature of life under the sun fully.

One of the challenges in studying Ecclesiastes is the limited emphasis on God's benevolent providence for the righteous amid all the pain and disappointments to which they are heir. There is a greater boldness in the New Testament on this subject (Romans 5:1-4; 8:28-39; Hebrews 12:5-11). In Ecclesiastes, this truth is more implicit than stated, but in chapter nine, it briefly surfaces. "For I considered all this [life's mysteries] in my heart," Solomon writes, "so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and all their works are in the hand of God" (Ecclesiastes 9:1). Heretofore the Preacher has simply stressed that divine justice will at last be done (Ecclesiastes 3:17; 8:12,13). Now, he stresses that through all the storms and stresses that beset the righteous, they are being carried in the gracious arms of an almighty God. As Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. ably summed it up: "Our quest for identity, meaning, and an explanation of the presence of evil, injustice, and inequities in life must end where Solomon's did -- in the fact that God sits at the helm, ruling and overruling for good" [Ecclesiastes - Total Life, p. 94].

Nevertheless, no matter how true that is, the Preacher reemphasizes that such will not always be evident in what we experience here: "People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see that is before them" (Ecclesiastes 9:1). He illustrates his point by proving that "all things come alike to all." The same thing happens to both the righteous and the wicked, the good and the sinner, the religious and the non-religious, the committed and uncommitted. They all go to the dead (Ecclesiastes 9:2-3). As a result, some heedless men fill themselves up with evil until they are crazy with it (Ecclesiastes 9:3; I Peter 4:3-5). And sin and madness surely do go together. We must be truly out of our minds if we think we can push the God who created us out of our lives and practice all the things that dishonor Him and injure others. So mindless people waste the one life they are given and plunge headlong into the death they know is coming and which will offer them no opportunity to change their destiny. Whatever they were, it is done (Ecclesiastes 9:4-6). Solomon is not speaking here of annihilation (how could there be a judgment?) but of the fact that they will "nevermore have a share in anything done under the sun." The preciousness of life he has earlier stressed with a proverb: "But for him who is joined to the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion" (Ecclesiastes 9:4).

So, if the righteous are not to be distinguished from the wicked in their circumstances and their end, what should the righteous do? Should they allow their griefs and troubles to consume them, to brood and mope in pessimistic gloom? Solomon rejects this reaction as he has many times before (Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:12-13, 22; 5:18-19; 8:15), and here his exhortation to joy comes to a rather powerful conclusion (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10). Don't just hope to live, he urges, live! Receive God's gifts gratefully, and though you may not always have them, enjoy them when you do. Eat your food and savor it with gladness (Acts 2:46; the wine mentioned here is not a drug as in Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35, but wholesome food as in Lamentations 2:11-12). Wear with gratitude the clothes you have been given and the soothing oil for your head, remembering that God has accepted your need for such things (Ecclesiastes 9:7-8). And even more importantly, live joyfully with the mate God has blessed you with and give yourself heartily to your work (Ecclesiastes 9:9-10).

And, how can we do that? Because, though the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, and death is certain (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12), we are in the hands of a gracious and all-powerful God who loves us.

He leadeth me! O blessed tho't!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where-e'er I be,
Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
[Joseph H. Gilmore, 1862]

Psalms 100

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 22:21:43 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Psalms-100.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: Psalms 100

I. There is a psalm which is specifically titled as one to be used for thanksgiving or during a thank offering, it is Psalms 100

II. What you should do ...

A. Shout joyfully to the Lord

1. Some things are not meant to be kept in - Psalms 32:11; 95:1-2; 98:4

2. The wording here refers to the cheers that arise from a crowd when someone important in their lives appears.

3. Interestingly, the Old Law invited all people to sing out with joy - Psalms 117:1-2

4. Do you appreciate your salvation? - Romans 15:7-13

B. Serve the Lord with gladness

1. Some times it is just hard to sit still

2. Oh that we offer sacrifices of ourselves with thanksgiving - Psalms 107:21-22

3. Such as a mark of God’s people - Acts 2:46-47

4. Made to serve - Ephesians 2:10

5. How sad that people follow the Lord because they have to.

C. Come before God with joyful singing

1. The best thing to do is let Him know you appreciate what He has done

2. When you are cheerful, sing - James 5:13

D. Know that the Lord Himself is God

1. You need to know where you stand and with whom you stand. Joy is born of confidence, not uncertainty

2. The knowledge of God fills the earth - Isaiah 11:9

3. Things to be confident about:

a. That the Lord is God - Psalms 46:10; Deuteronomy 4:35; John 17:3

b. That God made us - Psalms 95:6; I Peter 4:19

c. That we are God’s people - Psalms 95:7; I Peter 2:9

d. That God cares for us - Isaiah 40:9-11

E. Enter His gates with thanksgiving

1. Come before God with thanks on our lips - Psalm 116:17-19

F. Give thanks to Him

1. In whatever we do give thanks to God - Colossians 3:17

2. Offer the sacrifice of praise - Hebrews 13:15

G. Bless His name

1. Sing to the Lord, bless His name - Psalms 96:2

2. With all that is in me - Psalm 103:1-2

3. I will bless You forever - Psalms 145:1-2

III. Why we should do these things

A. Because the Lord is good

1. God is good and ready to forgive - Psalms 86:5

2. God is good and merciful - Psalm 106:1

3. Every good gift comes from the Father - James 1:17

B. Because the Lord’s mercy is everlasting

1. His mercy is on those who fear Him - Luke 1:50; Psalm 103:17

C. Because His faithfulness is to all generations

1. His faithfulness reaches to the heavens - Psalm 85:10

2. To be sung about - Psalm 89:1

3. He keeps His covenants - Deuteronomy 7:9

4. Jesus came to confirm those promises so we might give praise - Romans 15:8-9

IV. Familiarity breeds complacency. We need a reminder every once in a while that this is the best place to be, among people who love the Lord so much that it bubbles out of them.

A. Many illnesses of the mind would diminish before the onslaught of joy in the presence of God - Philippians 4:6-7

Do You Enjoy Being a Christian (Philippians 1)

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 23:30:14 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Do-You-Enjoy-Being-a-Christian-Philippians-1.mp3

by Raymond Warfel

Is life only enjoyable for the righteous when they reach heaven?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 23 Feb 2019 17:59:44 +0000

Question:

Hi Jeff,

I read in the Scriptures of all the good things, promises, happiness, peace, comfort and more that the righteous are told they will enjoy, but when you consider their life, it is mostly filled with misery. So I ask, is it only in heaven that they will enjoy these things?

Thanks.

Answer:

If you think about your question a moment, it implies that there are no earthly benefits to righteousness. In counting the cost of becoming a Christian, Jesus tells us, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life" (Luke 18:29-30).

Paul argued that disciplining yourself to be righteous has both immediate and long term benefits. "But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance" (I Timothy 4:7-9).

As an example, after Job suffered so much at the hand of Satan, we read: "The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold. Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold. The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. He had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land no women were found so fair as Job's daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. And Job died, an old man and full of days" (Job 42:10-17).

Now you and I might not receive wealth from God, but as David pointed out: "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!" (Psalms 84:10-12).

The reason is that righteousness guides us and helps us avoid the problems that destroy the wicked. "The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the treacherous will be caught by their own greed" (Proverbs 11:3-6).

While there are times of difficulties in everyone's life, it doesn't mean all of life is miserable. The book of Ecclesiastes was written to explain to us why God put us here on earth. Many people find it to be a depressing book because it calls so many things useless that most people think are important. But scattered through the book are statements about what is important in life:

"Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:14-16).

"I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor-it is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).

"Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart" (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20).

"Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 9:9).

"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity" (Ecclesiastes 11:9-11).

Life is meant to be enjoyable and can be enjoyed, whether you have little or much.

Is entertainment the devil’s substitute for joy?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 01:02:00 +0000

Question:

I recently listened to a sermon where the preacher said, if I remember correctly, "Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you need." Is that so? Before becoming a Christian, I had these habits of reading and consuming culture for selfish reasons, now I want to dedicate everything I do to the Lord. I remember I Corinthians 10:31 and Romans 14:23. Almost every time I go to see some videos or read something, a feeling invades me that I should be reading the Bible or listening to a sermon. Some days ago, I was watching a video on the impact of pollution on the Pacific Ocean and felt guilty for not listening to another sermon. I study the Bible (your website is helping me with it, by the way), but I feel compelled to always look at Christian-related content. If there's a video about history for example, and another about a preacher and I click on the history one, an immense guilty invades me. I don't know what to do. One part of me says I'm exaggerating, but another tells me that I'm not doing enough. Proverbs says that our hearts are not trustable, what should I do, then?

Answer:

"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered" (Proverbs 28:26). True, we don't trust our emotions to guide us; instead, we turn to wisdom -- the wisdom taught by God. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The root question is whether it is wrong to do things simply because they are fun. "Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity" (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10). Life is not meant to be lived without enjoying yourself. Some fun is necessary. "My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste" (Proverbs 24:13).

"Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God" (Ecclesiastes 2:24).

"I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?" (Ecclesiastes 3:22).

"Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart" (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20).

"So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 8:15).

But there are caveats. Entertainment has its place in life, but life is not all about fun and games. There is "a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." Overindulgence in fun can be harmful. "Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit" (Proverbs 25:16).

"The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many" (Ecclesiastes 11:7-8).

As was mentioned previously in Ecclesiastes 11:9-10, it is proper to go and have fun, so long as we remember that we still face God's judgment. Fun is not an excuse to sin. The thing to be careful about is that sin often wears a mask of pleasure. We get distracted and end up accepting what is wrong.

Therefore, what you need to look at is not whether something is entertaining or not, but whether it promotes righteous thought and righteous living. We should reject things that encourage sinful behavior (I Corinthians 15:33). Nor should we pursue entertainment to the exclusion of doing good that might be less fun.

Response:

Thank you, preacher. We indeed need to seek guidance in the wisdom the Lord gave us through the Bible. God bless.