Month: March 2011

Proverbs 30

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Smarter Than He Thinks.

“Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” ­– Proverbs 30:7-9 NLT

Agur, the author of this Proverb, had a somewhat diminished view of himself. He begins his proverb with the self-deprecating words, “I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One” (Proverbs 30:2-3 NLT). It has been speculated that Ithiel and Ucal were his two sons and that they were claiming, as sons are prone to do, to be wiser than their dear old dad. In response, Agur agrees with them, painting himself as lacking in wisdom and limited in his knowledge of God. But he is not claiming to be ignorant or a fool. He is simply admitting the limited nature of his knowledge and understanding when compared to that of God. He has a humble view of himself and a high view of God. He asks Ithiel and Ucal, “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! (Proverbs 30:4 NLT). For Agur, everything there is to know about God is wrapped up in the name of God. The answer to all of his questions is Yahweh, but he acts as if Ithiel and Ucal don’t know the obvious. In their pride and arrogance, they appear to have forgotten about the greatness of God.

Agur has a humility about him that is refreshing. He knows his place. He is painfully aware of his limitations. And he knows that his needs are few. All he really wants is to know his God and to live a life that is free from anything that might tempt him to forget God or dishonor Him. That is his prayer in verses 7-9 – the only prayer found in the Proverbs. Agur asks God for two things. He asks God to keep falsehood and lies far from him. I think this is a request for protection from the falsehood and lies of others, but also the elimination of these things in his own life. The second request is for a life devoid of wealth of poverty. Why? Because he knows that both bring with them certain temptations that he wants to avoid. When we find ourselves blessed with abundance we can be tempted to become self-sufficient (Deuteronomy 8:11-14; John 15:5). When we experience the opposite extreme of poverty, we can be tempted to doubt God’s goodness and to lose trust in Him. When that happens, we end up taking matters into our own hands in order to solve our problem. Agur wanted neither wealth or poverty. His real request was that he might live a life focused on God, trusting and relying on Him alone. Agur was a wise man. The kind of man most sons don’t appreciate until they are much older. We need more men and women like in our world today.

Father, give me the heart of Agur. Let me learn to be satisfied with You and You alone. Don’t let me long for wealth or fear poverty. Give me a life of simplicity, where You are all I need. Keep me from living self-sufficiently or self-reliantly. Help me to recognize each day that You are my sole provider and protector. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





2 Chronicles 9

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You Can’t Take It With You.

“Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31 When he died, he was buried in the city of his father, David. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.” ­– 2 Chronicles 9:30-31 NLT

Chapter nine of 2nd Chronicles is an almost word-for-word copy of chapter 10 of 1st Kings. In it we read about the incredible wealth and wisdom of Solomon. It seems almost over the top and too good to be true. He was able to answer all the questions of the Queen of Sheba with ease. The opulence is palace left her breathless. This would be like Rupert Murdoch being impressed with the wealth and wisdom of Bill Gates. She was blown away. “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! I didn’t believe it until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. Truly I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom is far greater than what I was told” (2 Chronicles 9:5-6 NLT). The amount of gold described in this passage is mind-boggling. His throne alone was worth a small fortune. Solomon had it all. Including a reign that lasted 40 years. But then the chapter ends abruptly. Solomon dies.

He knew this day would come. In fact, he wrote about it. “Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. Then I thought in my heart, ‘The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?’ I said in my heart, ‘This too is meaningless.’ For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!” (Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 NLT). Solomon knew death was inevitable, and all his wealth and wisdom couldn’t prevent it. He would leave it all behind, including his wisdom – in the form of the Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes. His son Rehoboam would have the legacy of his father to live up to and his magnificent palace to live in. But Solomon left behind more than he could have ever imagined. We find out later that Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king and his reign would last 17 years. For the first three years of his reign he would follow in the steps of David and Solomon. But he shared some of his father’s weaknesses, including his love of women. He had 18 wives and 60 concubines, 28 sons and 60 daughters. Idolatry would be a continual problem during his reign.

“And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, whom they provoked to jealousy with the sins they committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built themselves [idolatrous] high places, pillars, and Asherim [idolatrous symbols of the goddess Asherah] on every high hill and under every green tree. There were also sodomites (male cult prostitutes) in the land. They did all the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out before the Israelites.” – 1 Kings 14:22-24 Amplified Bible

Rehoboam would not inherit his father’s God-given wisdom and would end up making decisions that split the kingdom in half. The halcyon days of Israel would become a memory. The glory days would end. The writer of 2nd Chronicles sets up the rest of the story with a reminder of just how good things were right before Solomon died. He describes the good old days. But things were about to take a dramatic change for the worst. Solomon had built himself quite a kingdom. He had established for himself quite a reputation. But he couldn’t take any of it with him. He would leave it all behind. Would Solomon have been better off spending his time preparing his son to reign than amassing a fortune and turning Jerusalem into a show place? Rather than putting all his wisdom on paper, would he have been better off pouring it into his children? There’s an old saying that says when it comes to our children “more is caught than taught.” Rehoboam was watching his dad. He would try to emulate his father’s wisdom and ways. He would try to rule like Solomon. But he would eventually fail. Solomon left behind a lot more than he ever imagined. What about me? What am I leaving behind?

Father, I don’t want to leave behind a reputation or a portfolio of achievements and assets. I want to leave behind children who love You and who know how to obediently serve You. I want them to know how to live wise and Spirit-filled lives. I want them to live in dependence on You, not themselves. Help me not spend my years on this earth obsessed with myself and my own achievements. Give me an eternal perspective that looks beyond my days here on earth. May my children be my greatest legacy. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





1 Kings 10

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Now Is The Time To Be Careful.

“All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day!” ­– 1 Kings 10:21 NLT

What a time to be alive in the land of Israel. This nation had seen a lot of change take place in a very short period of time. No longer the poor, raggamuffin former slaves who had left Egypt, Israel had become a great nation with a powerful king and a growing reputation. They were a force to be reckoned with in the region. Their king was wise and extremely wealthy. They had a strong army. They sat at a strategic crossroads when it came to trade and commerce, occupying the land bridge that connected three continents. Money and goods flowed through their land and, as a result, the wealth of the Israelites increased greatly. So much so that silver was considered of little value! The abundance of gold made silver virtually commonplace and worthless. These were heady times in the life of Israel.

On her royal visit to Jerusalem, the Queen of Sheba recognized the hand of God in all that she saw. “The LORD your God is great indeed! He delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because the LORD loves Israel with an eternal love, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9 NLT). She was impressed with Solomon and his God. So much so that she made Solomon even wealthier by sending him nine thousand pounds of gold, and great quantities of spices and precious jewels. Solomon and the people of Israel had been blessed by God. They enjoyed peace, prosperity and, more importantly the presence of God. But all this reminds me of the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 12:48: “Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.” Was Solomon becoming distracted by his own celebrity and wealth? Were the people of Israel beginning to think that they were indestructible and untouchable? Was there a level of complacency and cockiness settling into the people and their wise king? The answer is yes. Chapter 10 is a set-up to chapter 11 of 1 Kings. We’re going to see that all was not well in Solomon’s Camelot. On the surface all looked well. But like a cancer that spreads unseen and undetected in the body, there was a subtle spirit of rebellion slowly infiltrating the people of Israel, and it began at the top. Success was breeding complacency. The abundant blessings of God were resulting in a loss of the fear of God. Solomon and his people were becoming self-sufficient and self-reliant. They were losing their sense of dependence on God. Years later, after Solomon’s kingdom split in two, the prophet Hosea would end up giving the people of Israel a warning from the lips of God, “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from your slavery in Egypt. You have no God but me, for there is no other savior. I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. But when you had eaten and were satisfied, then you became proud and forgot me” (Hosea 13:4-6 NLT). Prosperity was breeding pride. Ease and comfort was resulting in short-term memory loss and an inability to remember all that God had done. God had warned them that this might happen.

“When you have eaten your fill, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, that is the time to be careful. Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.” – Deuteronomy 8:10-14 NLT

That is the time to be careful! Could the same be said to us today? Are we enjoying the abundant blessings of God, but subtly turning away from our dependence upon God? Are we just as guilty as Solomon of accepting the gifts of God, while disobeying the Word of God? That is the time to be careful.

Father, I am so abundantly blessed. You have been so good to me and yet I can so easily forget You and just bask in the blessings. I almost come to expect it, even demand it. Never let me forget that I am what I am because of You. I would be nothing without You. I deserve nothing on my own. I don’t merit any of the good things you shower on me every day. Don’t let me become proud, arrogant and complacent in my walk with You. Remind me daily that now is the time to be careful. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Ecclesiastes 10-12

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Remember God – While You Still Can.

“Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living.” ­– Ecclesiastes 12:1 NLT

It was George Bernard Shaw who said, “Youth is wasted on the young.” They have all the energy, enthusiasm, mental capacity, and vigor for life. They have years ahead of them to experience life in all its fullness. And for those of us whose hair is turning gray or simply turning loose, we find ourselves jealous of the young. We sometimes wish we were young again. Some of us spend way too much time trying to appear young in a vain attempt to hang on to something that is no longer there. Solomon seemed to hate the idea of getting older. It was a topic he discussed at length in his writings in Ecclesiastes. He knew his days were numbered. He was experiencing the effects of old age. His memory was not what it once was and he no longer had the energy he once had. He probably found himself exhausted, both mentally and physically, at the end of the day. And yet he probably found himself surrounded by young people. After all, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, so there is no telling how many kids he had running around the palace.

So Solomon had a lot to say to young people. The Proverbs are full of messages to the young, and in the closing chapter of Ecclesiastes we read more admonitions and warnings from the pen of Solomon to youth. He writes from the perspective of one who has seen the years fly by and is now looking back in retrospect. He encourages the young to remember God while they can. Old age can bring diminished capacities of all kinds. Memory loss, decreased attention span, poor vision, and weakened strength are just a few of the things that young people have to look forward to. So while they are young, Solomon warns, they need to remember God. They need to use their energy, enthusiasm, strength, and mental capacity to think about the One who made them. “Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well” (Ecclesiastes 12:6 NLT). Solomon uses poetic language to portray the fragility of life and the inevitable end we all face.

But Solomon is not all doom and gloom. He encourages the young to enjoy life. To take advantage of the years they have ahead of them. “Young man, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness” (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 NLT). Solomon teaches balance. Enjoy life, but remember that all life ends in death. And none of us know when that time will come. Only God does. Youth is only wasted on the young if they refuse to live with wisdom and in the fear of God. That really seems to be Solomon’s point. The lessons of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes are really for the young. They have the time to put them into practice and make their lives count. These are the same messages we need to convey to the youth of our day. Sometimes we think they can’t handle it. We treat them as if they are too young and too immature to deal with deeper truth. But Solomon wanted to reach the young while they were young. He wanted them to make the most of their lives “under the sun.” He wanted them to enjoy their lives, but to do so with a certain degree of soberness and seriousness. He concludes his writings with the following thought: “Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NLT). Encouraging our young people to live their lives with God as the focus is the duty of us all. But we need to do more than talk about it. We need to model it. Life is to be enjoyed – with God at the center of it. Life is to be lived to the full – with God at the center of it. Life is to be rich and rewarding – with God at the center of it. Otherwise, if God is left out of the equation – life becomes meaningless.

Father, give me an increased desire to share these thoughts with the youth in my life – including my own kids. But more than anything else, help me to live out the truths found in this book in my own life. Show me how to model a life of wisdom and the fear of God. I want to increasingly make You the center of all that I do – so that my life has meaning. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Ecclesiastes 7-9

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His Ways Are Not Our Ways.

“I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover ; and though the wise man should say, ‘I know,’ he cannot discover.” ­– Ecclesiastes 8:17 NASB

There was a limit to Solomon’s wisdom. He was extremely wise, but he didn’t know everything. Solomon was still a man who found himself limited in his understanding. He could not understand the inner workings of God’s divine plan. He couldn’t comprehend the confusing nature of life on this world. Why do the wicked seem to prosper and the righteous seem to suffer? We don’t know. We can’t answer those kinds of questions. But in his pursuit to know Solomon asks. He wants answers. And because he can’t find them, it can lead to the conclusion that life is futile, meaningless and like chasing the wind. Solomon asks rhetorically and with a hint of frustration, “If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?” (Ecclesiastes 8:7 NASB). We are limited. We don’t know what is going to happen. We don’t know when we are going to die. We don’t know how relationships are going to turn out. We don’t know if adversity or prosperity is our lot. A life of righteousness can’t guarantee one or prevent the other. Only God knows. And His ways are inscrutable, unknowable, unsearchable. There are things going on here “under the sun” that we will never understand this side of eternity. We have a limited perspective. We have limited knowledge. We are finite creatures. But our God is infinite in power, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. He is in control. He has a plan. And He doesn’t always let us in on it.

Paul understood this. “Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back? For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36 NLT).  God reminded the prophet Isaiah of the same thing. “‘My thoughts are completely different from yours,’ says the LORD. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts'” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT).

So what should be our reaction to the fact that God’s ways are greater than we can ever understand? How do we respond when we finally realize that not everything on this earth is cut and dried, with the wicked always losing and the righteous always winning? Well, on the one hand, we could resign ourselves to a life of futility and determine to make the most out of this mess. That seems to be what Solomon did. He adopted the “eat, drink and be merry” philosophy – a life of hedonism. We could take a more restrained approach and simply tell ourselves to enjoy what you’ve got and not worry about the rest. “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun ; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:9 NLT). Or we could learn to rest in the fact that God’s ways, while impossible for us to know or understand, are always trustworthy and right. He knows what He is doing. We can learn to accept adversity or prosperity as both potential options in God’s divine plan for our lives.

In his “Notes on Ecclesiastes,” Dr. Thomas L. Constable says, “We cannot understand why God uses adversity and prosperity as He does. A man or woman of faith trusts God nonetheless (Romans 8:28). Therefore we should enjoy the times of prosperity and remember in the times of adversity that God is in control.” Warren Wiersbe puts it this way, “God balances our lives by giving us enough blessings to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble.” In the end, we need to trust that He knows what He is doing. Life “under the sun” can be confusing, frustrating, and at times, demotivating. It doesn’t always make sense. It isn’t always fun. There are things that happen that we can’t understand or make sense of. But if we maintain a God-focused perspective and remember to keep Him as part of our equation, it can help us understand that trust sometimes has to take precedence over knowing. Faith has to stand in the place of understanding.

Father, what a life this can be at times. So many things happen even in a given day that confuse and confound us. And if we maintain a purely horizontal perspective it can become debilitating and frustrating. But Your ways are greater than my ways. Your knowledge is beyond anything I can begin to understand. Help me learn to trust You, even when things don’t seem to be going the way I think they should. Don’t let me try and measure Your goodness based solely on circumstances. Don’t let me measure reality based solely on what I see going on around me. You have a greater plan. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Ecclesiastes 4-6

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It’s All About Perspective.

“Then I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind.” ­– Ecclesiastes 4:4 NLT

Remember, the real theme of the book of Ecclesiastes seems to be about having  a God-centered worldview than a me-focused one. It is about learning to see life from God’s perspective, not our own. We are limited in what we can see. We don’t know what God is up to or what He has planned. So when we try to live our lives focused only on the horizontal, we end up with a warped perspective, and it skews just about everything we do. For instance, even our motivation to succeed in life is based on envy and jealousy. We take a look around us and see what others have achieved and the lifestyle their achievements have made possible, and we decide to work harder so that we can enjoy the same things. In the end, this kind of motivation proves futile and meaningless. It’s a vapor that fades away. Why? Because our perspective is wrong. Solomon goes on to warn us,  “Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth — except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers! People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich are always worrying and seldom get a good night’s sleep. There is another serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, or they are put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born” (Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 NLT). So is Solomon saying hard work and wealth are wrong? No, he was a very wealthy man who worked hard at being the king of Israel. But he had learned that his wealth and hard work didn’t bring him joy and fulfillment. When he made those things his focus and demanded that they meet his needs, he discovered that they could never deliver.

But with a slight change in perspective, things can take on a different light. “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, and enjoy their work — whatever they do under the sun — for however long God lets them live. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life — that is indeed a gift from God. People who do this rarely look with sorrow on the past, for God has given them reasons for joy” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NLT). The ability to work is a gift from God. Any wealth I gain from working is a gift from God. Any pleasures that my hard work afford me are a gift from God. The food I eat, the home I live in, the friends I have, are all gifts from God. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life – that is indeed a gift from God. How many of us work, but rarely enjoy it? How often do we complain about how hard we work and how little time we have to relax and enjoy the benefits of our labor? When we sit down and eat a meal, we probably don’t stop and think about the fact that the food we are eating was made possible by our hard work. We don’t make that connection. We don’t savor the moment. If we lived in an agrarian culture where we labored all day to plant, tend, and harvest the food we eat, we would probably more readily enjoy the consumption of the fruit of our labors. God used our labor along with His creative power to produce the food we are eating. It is a gift from Him.

I love Solomon’s advice in chapter six: “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT). One of the curses of this world is our constant dissatisfaction and desire for more. We are in a constant pursuit for the next thing. The next job, the next relationship, the next new technological toy, the next great book, the next new diet, the next great vacation spot, the next …  And when we get that next new thing, we rarely sit back and enjoy it, because we are immediately distracted by something else we don’t have. So Solomon says, “Enjoy what you have!” Savor the moment. Enjoy the meal you’re eating, the friendships you have, the moment you’re in, the home you’re living in, the health you’re enjoying. Remember that everything is a gift from God. The next new thing will never satisfy, if the old thing never did. Only God can bring satisfaction. Keep your eyes focused on Him.

Father, what a temptation it is to keep looking for more and never enjoy what we already have. I spend so much time thinking about what I don’t have instead of enjoying what I do have. Help me to rest in You and be satisfied with what You provide. The constant quest for more is not only tiring, it is ultimately unfulfilling. It can’t deliver. Thank You for all You have already given me. Help me learn to enjoy every moment of life as a gift from You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Ecclesiastes 1-3

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Chasing the Wind.

“I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done in the world. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. Everything under the sun is meaningless, like chasing the wind.” ­– Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 NLT

Chasing the wind. Futility. Vanity. Meaninglessness. These are just a few of the words the wise man Solomon uses to describe life. At first glance, you would think these are surprising words coming from the pen of a man who seemingly had it all – health, wealth, wisdom, success, fame, and the respect and admiration of men near and far. But Solomon was human. He may have been rich, but he was still susceptible to the conditions that plague all mankind – fear of man, the desire for more, discontentment, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and the ever-present reality of sin. Solomon didn’t live in a vacuum. He was surrounded by individuals who tested and tried him, sought to defeat him, played up to him just to get something out of him, lived off of him, and revealed the worst about him. In other words, Solomon lived in a fallen world. He may have been king of the people of God, but his life was not that much different than yours or mine. And when he looked at life from his own human vantage point, things could begin to look dim indeed. He could become disappointed and disillusioned.

But the book of Ecclesiastes is really designed to give the reader a God-centered perspective. It shows the futility of life when viewed from the vantage point of self. If we view life from our limited perspective, we will constantly find ourselves in a state of confusion. This life does not make sense. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. We can work hard all our lives and end up with nothing to show for it in the end. Life is not always fair. Justice doesn’t always seem to win out in the end. The unjust do not always seem to get their just desserts. In fact, many of the most wicked in this world seem to get away with murder – literally. Evil men rise to power and grow wealthy as they abuse and exploit their own people. Corrupt corporate executives get filthy rich while their investors lose everything. Injustice and inequity are everywhere.

But one of the phrases Solomon uses over and over again is “under the sun.” He is basically referring to life on the planet earth. It refers to a temporal mindset that can easily focus on the horizontal and leave out the vertical. Rather than living life with a God-centered worldview, we become fixated on a self-centered, me-focused worldview. It becomes life as I see it – limited, myopic, and incapable of seeing the bigger picture. One of the recurring themes of Ecclesiastes seems to be that life without God lacks real substance. There is no real value or permanence to it all. It’s like a vapor or fog that is here one minute, then gone the other. It’s transitory and futile. Solomon had all that life had to offer. But he seemed to know that all the wealth in the world was going to satisfy him in the end. You can’t take it with you. And you could lose it all in the blink of an eye. Years of hard work and labor could be easily squandered, stolen, or wind up never delivering what you thought they would. It’s the house that’s never clean. The yard that continues to need mowing. The bills that are never finished being paid. The pain that never goes away. The hurt that never seems to get healed.

Solomon put it this way: ” …as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT). But in the midst of all the doom and gloom, there is good news. God is in control. He has a bigger and much larger perspective. He views life from a better vantage point. Solomon says, “God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). We can’t see what God can see. We don’t know what He knows. We aren’t privy to His plans. He doesn’t consult or seek our approval for His actions. For Solomon it was a simple as, “I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose in this is that people should fear him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14 NLT).

Life is like chasing the wind, but only if you choose to ignore God’s bigger plan. When we leave Him out of the equation, nothing adds up. It doesn’t make sense. Nothing works. Nothing. No amount of money can make us happy. Nothing we can purchase or own can fulfill us. Nothing we eat or drink can fully satisfy us. But God can. It is a life lived without a God-centered perspective that ends up being like chasing the wind. But when we keep God at the focus of life and His will as the motivation for our obedience, life becomes meaning-full. It becomes rich, complete, fulfilling, satisfying, and worth living.

Father, help me to keep You at the center of my thoughts. Give me a growing You-centeredness instead of a me-centeredness. Open my eyes to Your divine perspective. Help me see life from Your higher vantage point instead of my earth-bound one. You are in control. You have a plan. Never let me forget that. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Proverbs 29

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The Fear of Man.

“The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.” ­– Proverbs 29:25 NASB

Virtually all of the Proverbs are relationship-based. They have to do with how we interact with others. And much of the negative behavior portrayed in these wise sayings is driven by the fear of man. To fear man is to be consumed about what another individual thinks about me, which can lead to flattery, pretense and show, as well as jealousy. Fear of man is an inordinate concern for acceptance. It is an unhealthy obsession with status and achievement. Fear of man is behind our need to impress and improve. Even those who the Bible describes as wicked are motivated by the fear of man. The oppress and mistreat others, fearing that if they don’t they will somehow lose power and control. The manipulate and take advantage of others in order to prevent the same thing from happening to them. Fear of man is a powerful force in our lives. It can cause us to do things we wouldn’t normally do. When we fear man we cease to fear God. In fact, we put man in the place of God, fearing more what man might do to us or think about us, than God Himself.

Fear of man is a lack of trust in God. We lie because we are trying to protect ourselves, somehow doubting that God can watch over us if we just tell the truth. Abraham did this on a number of occasions, telling lies that were motivated by the fear of man. His fear of man was greater than his trust in God. We flatter others, telling them how great they are, even when we don’t really mean it – all because we think it might get us what we want or what we think we need. Again, when we do this we are expressing to God our doubt that He can or will meet our needs. We sometimes do unethical or questionable things in order to accomplish a certain goal. We bend the rules and fudge the facts, justifying our actions as necessary and acceptable. But when we do these things, we are not only showing God we don’t trust Him to provide, we don’t fear Him. He must not be serious about our holiness and obedience. He won’t do anything. We fear man more than God.

The fear of man is powerful and ultimately destructive. Especially to those who call themselves followers of Christ. Over in the book of John we are told about some of the religious leaders who had become convinced that Jesus really was who He said He was. They began to believe in Him as the Messiah of Israel. But sadly, we are told, “…many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God” (John 12:42-43 NASB). They loved the approval of men more than the approval of God. Have you ever refused to pray over your meal in public for fear of what others might think of you? Have you ever decided not to share your faith with a co-worker out of fear of what they might say about you? Have you ever struggled with obeying what God has told you to do because you have feared that it might diminish your reputation in the eyes of others? That is the fear of man. And it is alive and well in our lives today. The alternative is to trust God and seek His approval. Men are fickle. God is not. Men can never be pleased. God doesn’t have to be. Men will never love us as much as we would like. God loves us unconditionally and completely. Trust Him.

Father, the fear of man is a powerful force in my life. It makes me do things I don’t want to do and it tempts me to doubt and disobey You. Help me to see that there is no need to fear man. You are on my side. You love me and care for me. You have my best in store. I can trust You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Proverbs 27-28

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The Heart of the Matter.

“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.” ­– Proverbs 27:19 NLT

While the book of Proverbs appears to be a collection of disconnected sayings, there is a common thread running throughout them. They deal with a wide variety of issues ranging from gluttony and greed to pride and boasting. There are plenty of Proverbs about the fool, the deceitful man, the wicked, the boastful, the proud, the gossip, and the lazy. But these characters are almost always juxtaposed by the wise, the trustworthy, the righteous, the humble, and the diligent. For every negative example given, there seems to be a positive one. Because at the end of the day, the Proverbs are dealing with the condition of the heart. All these positive and negative character traits flow from the heart. The heart is the source and the characteristics listed in the Proverbs are what become visible to those around us. Pride is the fruit of a proud heart. It is not a character flaw, but a reflection of who we really are on the inside. Jesus put it this way, “A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say” (Luke 6:45 NLT). The heart is critical to living the life God has called us to live. Solomon understood this. It’s why he warned, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT). The heart affects everything you do. It is the source of all your pride, foolishness, humility, greed, patience, hope, hatred, and love. You can try and cover up what is in your heart, but eventually it will make its way to the surface for all to see. You can try and cover it up, but eventually the true condition of your heart will be exposed. Others will see it – even when we can’t. Our efforts to appear as something we’re not end up fooling only one person – ourselves. Everyone else sees through our charade.

The problem for mankind has always been the condition of the heart. The prophet Jeremiah said, “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT). Jesus echoed those same sentiments when He said, “For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God” (Mark 7:21-23 NLT).

The hearts of men are damaged. They are faulty because of the fall. They can’t produce anything worthwhile or righteous. But there is hope and it is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. He gives us the capacity to live differently. He changes our hearts. “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). So all the positive character traits listed in the Proverbs are achievable and possible for the believer. We have been given a new heart and a new capacity to live differently – from the inside out. We can produce new fruit because we have the Spirit of God living within us. But we have to remember, that we still have a sin nature. We still have a daily choice to either obey our flesh or listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit within us. Paul put it this way when writing to the Galatian Christians:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure,  idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. – Galatians 5:19-25 NLT

Following the Holy Spirit’s leading is the key to living a life marked by wisdom, humility, and self-control. We have the Spirit inside of us and the Word of God to guide us. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of the power available to us in the Scriptures: “For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). As we read the Word of God with the help of the Spirit of God, the character of God becomes increasingly more prevalent in our lives. The Proverbs become more than a list of pithy statements. They become reality in our lives. We begin to live out in our lives what Solomon put down on paper. And the world sits up and takes notice.

Father, my heart is the battle ground. It is the source of what comes out of my mouth, what I do with my hands and feet, how I handle adversity and prosperity. It controls my thoughts, guides my actions, and determines my steps. Along with David I pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me” Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org





Proverbs 26

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The Three Stooges.

“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” ­– Proverbs 16:11 NLT

I used to hate watching The Three Stooges even as a kid. Why? Because they were so stupid. Even as a young boy I couldn’t believe three adult men could be that dumb. It drove me crazy to watch them continually get themselves into situations that resulted in pain, embarrassment and humiliation. Maybe it was because I hated all three of these things in my own life that I couldn’t stand seeing it lived out right before my eyes. I wanted to scream at these three hapless and helpless guys to wake up and smell the coffee. They didn’t have to live that way. They could have prevented all the things happening to them. But they were too stupid, lazy and, at least in the case of Moe, just too mean.

When I read this collection of proverbs I can’t help but picture Moe, Larry and Curly . To me, those three guys provide a wonderful living illustration of the individual described in these verses. For the most part Moe, Larry and Curly were naive, unteachable, untrustworthy, and not very bright. Yet, they were clueless to their own ignorance. In fact, they thought they were pretty smart. They were always coming up with new business ventures: launderers, plumbers, painters, movers, even bakers. But everything they did resulted in failure and disaster. Anyone who hired them lived to regret it. Anyone who did business with them was always disappointed. Watching them was at times humorous, but more often than not, painful. Solomon says, “Trusting a fool to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!” (Proverbs 26:6 NLT). You wouldn’t hire one of Stooges. You wouldn’t dare give them an important message to deliver, or share a secret with them and expect them to keep it confidential. Why? Because these guys were incompetent, lazy, and undeserving of trust. Solomon seems to be painting for us a stereotyped, over-the-top portrait of just such an individual. It’s easy to read these proverbs and see them as descriptions of someone who doesn’t really exist. But each of us carries these characteristics inside of us at all times. There probably is not anyone who lives out these characteristics 24-7, 365 days a year, but how often do we all exhibit the qualities of a fool at one time or another? How frequently do we allow laziness to show up in our lives and impact our decision making? And how many times have we tried to fool others into believing we were something other than what we really were on the inside? None of us would ever want to be thought of as a stooge or an imbecile. We would hate to think that others viewed us as lazy, deceptive, untrustworthy, two-faced, stupid, argumentative or contentious. Yet when we live our lives without God as our focus and the Word of God as our guide, that is exactly how we can come across. You see, the fool is simply an individual who lives as if there is no God. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe in God, he just lives his life in such a way that it is as if God does not exist. That’s what makes him a fool. When I attempt to live my life and leave God out of the mix, it never turns out well for me. Sure, I could still end up successful. I could still make money, marry a wonderful person, live a good life, and have all the trappings of material success. But how many successful people do we all know who are foolish, lazy, untrustworthy, a danger to themselves and others, and generally deceptive?

The remedy for all the problems listed in these verses is God. He alone can make the fool wise, the lazy person diligent, and the deceptive person worthy of trust. Moe, Larry and Curly couldn’t help but be what they were – stooges. They offer us a perfect caricature of mankind devoid of God: Simpleminded, lacking in discernment, wise in their own eyes, prone to laziness, and harmful to all those around them – all the while being being unaware of their own shortcomings. Yet Solomon gives us the secret remedy to all these problems – the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7) – a reverence for God and a willing submission to His Word and His will. That is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom; and the key to not living your life like a stooge.

Father, how many times have I lived my life like Moe, Larry and Curly? I can be so self-confident and wise in my own eyes, but because I choose to leave You out of the equation, I can end up making some really stupid decisions, that not only end up harming me, but everyone around me. Open my eyes and help me understand what is means to fear You. I want to be wise, trustworthy, diligent, and live my life in truth, not deception. Only You make that possible. Give me an increasing love for Your Word and a growing desire to do Your will. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org