Solomon continues to discourse on the vagaries of the world
we live in. Indeed, the world is an
uncertain place. All of life is a gamble of sorts in that way. He counsels diversity in investments in verse
two and in verses three and four his admonition is to action rather than
inaction. Forrest Gump's mother was
right, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna
get." The imperative is to live
anyway, rejoicing in each day, knowing that, as Jesus will say in Matthew 6
"sufficient to the day is the trouble thereof." If you have lived long at all you know these
truths, that nothing can truly be counted on, sometimes what you see isn't what
you get, and there will be trouble for all.
In worldly matters there is wisdom in diversifying your investment
portfolio (if you have one) and in taking action to do what is necessary in
life to preserve life. Because we
understand why such things are, sin, we should also then undertake our lives to
live for things eternal and unchangeable, things not subject to the vagaries of
this life. Simply said, but the doing is
the important part.
The rock on which the church will be built has to be eternal
if it is to stand against the gates of hell.
The rock, then, cannot be Peter can it?
It would seem that the confession of Peter, the truth about Jesus as
Messiah, must be the rock on which the church is built. When Jesus names him "Petra", the
rock, is it an inherent change of being in Peter that takes place to make him
rock-like? We don't see that stability
at the time of Jesus' trial, although after the Spirit is given we see him in
that way in the immediate aftermath.
Paul, however, has to confront Peter as wavering in his witness depending
on which audience, Jews or Gentile Christians, he is addressing at the
moment. So long as the church maintains
its conviction and witness as to the identity of Jesus we will be able to
withstand the gates of hell. If we get carried along every wind of doctrine
rather than the Holy Spirit which enabled Peter to make his confession, we will
fall before them.
Paul highlights the differences between a life characterized
by the gratification of the flesh versus a life characterized by the
gratification of the Spirit and the difference couldn't be more apparent. Which would you rather your life look like:
"sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity,
strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,
drunkenness, orgies, and things like these," or, "love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Even worldly people want the second but they
don't know how to get there. There is no
such hope without Jesus, without eternal hope being secure. The real problem is that they see their
Christian friends as not having those things in their lives and they don't
believe such life truly exists. The reason
Buddhism is so appealing is that its escapism makes possible that peace. We have a better hope than Nirvana but who
would know it?
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