A Life Punctuated By God

You are to view life as a gift, not as a right. Dr. Tony Evans says, even though the world owes us nothing, the Lord offers us everything. To live a thankful life for the benefits that God gives you is to have a God perspective under the sun. This is The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of The Urban Alternative. Healthy ambition can drive us to improve and succeed, but Dr. Evans says when that morphs into greed, a lot of what we get isn't what we want. Today he'll talk about how to live a more meaningful life punctuated with God's provision and presence. Let's join him as he takes us to the book of Ecclesiastes.

We got to the middle part of chapter 5 last time, and let me pick it up at verse 13. There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. So he's seeing greed and how destructive it can be under the sun, how men at the expense of themselves and others are so greedy. You know, we all went through the effects of the housing collapse and debacle, where there was greed on both sides. There was greedy people trying to make money. There was greedy people trying to buy houses they couldn't afford. So you had greed meeting greed, and it led to a massive collapse that affected everybody. The whole nation was in turmoil because I've watched the greed at work, because that's a reality.

And just because you were saved didn't mean your house didn't go underwater, because the whole culture was affected. I've seen how hurtful hoarding or greed is. When those riches were lost through bad investments and that he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.

Of course, bad decisions regarding money affects the next generation. As he had come naked from his mother's womb, solely returned as he came, he will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hands. So he wants you to know you're leaving it all behind. So then you must then look at material, physical things, in this case money, for what it really is. It is a tool to be used, not a god to be worshiped. Okay? Because you can't take it with you.

You know, you leave it for another. He says, this is a grievous evil. Exactly as man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?

For the wind is that phrase of nothing that is lasting. So the Bible would say it in the New Testament, seek ye first the kingdom of God, something that lasts, and all these things will be added to you. Throughout his life, he also eats and drinks with great vexations, sickness, and anger. When your priorities are wrong, you're miserable even if you have stuff.

And most of us have either been in that or seen that. We're folks who had more and they're worse off as people. Then when they had less, they were happier with less. Furthermore, verse 19, 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.

Now, notice how he punctuates the reality with God. You are to view life as a gift, not as a right. You are to view life as a gift, and if you've been blessed to have wealth, he calls it, you are to live—when somebody gives you a gift, the appropriate thing to do is say thanks because it was given to you. To live a thankful life under the sun for the benefits that God gives you is to have a God perspective under the sun because a God perspective under the sun equips you better to deal with the realities of life under the sun because life under the sun is not always good. So it is being grateful.

We teach this to our children, you know. Be grateful for what you got. Don't complain for what you don't have. Well, God is saying that to his creation as well. For he will not often, verse 20, consider the years of his life because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart. In other words, as you get older, the years of your life are passing. If gratitude and being grateful for what you have from God becomes how you think, how you live, and how you function, then the years of life aren't crushing on you because God is interacting with your gladness, the gladness of the gift. As you look at your life, as I look at my life, as we look at our lives, wanting to do better, be better, all of that's wonderful, but while you are doing that, be grateful for where you are till your change comes. It's not wrong to want a change or a better situation. It's wrong to be ungrateful while waiting for the change. So keep that gladness of heart, which comes from a thanksgiving spirit, under the sun because that is how God interfaces with us through the positives and negatives of life.

It comes in chapter 6, and it keeps going back from evil to good, good to evil. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, where men live, and it is prevalent among men. A man to whom God has given riches, so he's still on this theme, and wealth and honor, so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and severe affliction. I have seen people with stuff they never get around to enjoy. Okay? And notice why they don't get around to enjoy them. God has not empowered him to eat from them.

Okay? You exclude God out, and it very well be you never get to enjoy all the stuff like the man in Luke 12, where God said to him, You fool, tonight your soul is required. You ain't gonna enjoy any of that retirement. You're not gonna enjoy any of that retirement. I was told about a lady recently who waited until she retired to live a thankful life.

And now I understand that she could be dying, and she just retired. Don't wait. Don't wait. Life under the sun, let it be punctuated with thanksgiving for God now, so that you have gladness now. And don't wait till you retire, because you may not get to retire.

We don't know. We all want to live, you know, the average lifespan in America is 78.8 years. Okay? That's average. Women live four years longer than men. Don't you hate that, guys?

They get four years longer than we do. You don't know. And since you don't know, make today matter. And the way to do that, he says, is thanksgiving to God. Because he says, I've observed a person having it all and winding up with nothing.

Okay? So, he's trying to deal with an attitude of how that attitude ought to be shaped under the sun. If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things, and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, better the miscarriage than he. What a way to live your life in such a way that it was better for you not to have been born in the first place.

Better that he be miscarried than have this unsatisfied life. Antidote to that is the injection of a grateful attitude day by day to God, or as the Lord's Prayer says, give us this day, my daily bread. Give me today what I need to be okay today. Because the Bible says, and tomorrow will take care of itself.

Okay? Plan for tomorrow with God. The Bible encourages planning. But don't live in tomorrow. Because today is the tomorrow you were looking for yesterday. Today is the tomorrow you were looking for yesterday.

So when you get up tomorrow morning, under God, you get up and you give thanks, you know. I may not have steak and potatoes, but Lord, thank you for pork and beans that I'm not starving. Okay? I want steak and potatoes tomorrow, but I have pork and beans today.

So while I'm looking toward the steak and potatoes tomorrow, while I want steak and potatoes tomorrow, I'm going to put some Worcestershire sauce on this hot dog. You know, I'm going to max out this moment. Okay? Because all I have is today.

Okay? And therefore there is this divine perspective of gratitude to God. He says, I've seen people accumulate and have nothing. So he's observing what happens under the sun. He's interjecting God into it for the right perspective, because even as believers we live under the sun. Dr. Evans will talk about why the Bible says it's better to attend a funeral than a party when he returns in a moment with more from his brand new series on how to avoid a wasted life. This in-depth nine-part sermon collection explores what the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us about the transient nature of worldly pursuits and the importance of living a life that transcends wealth and possessions.

Through it, you'll discover that a life lived with God at the center is a life of genuine purpose and fulfillment. Right now, we'd like to send to you as our gift all nine full-length messages in this series on CD or digital download as a way of saying thanks for your financial support of this ministry. Along with the complete How to Avoid a Wasted Life audio package, we'll also send you a special bonus, the Kindness Flip Calendar, your 365-day companion to becoming contagiously kind. These daily reflections will help you develop a passion for kindness in your life as you're motivated and encouraged with insights from Dr. Evans, short prayers, and inspiring Bible passages. Visit us today at TonyEvans.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222 to take advantage of this special offer.

That's online at TonyEvans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. Dr. Evans will return with more of our message right after this. All right, guys, I'm talking to you.

Do you feel like your life is extremely chaotic or just dull? Do you desire an adventure with a clear objective? Dr. Tony Evans' book, Kingdom Disciples, is like a conversation with a man who is ready to take you on a bold path to a fulfilling and adventurous life.

All you have to do right now is get your copy, 1-800-800-3222, or visit TonyEvans.org and get Dr. Evans' book, Kingdom Disciples. What's your next adventure? You know, you think of the superstars in the past. You know, their names fade, celebrities' names fade, my name's gonna fade, your name's gonna fade. There'll be a few people who may remember, you know, but then generations come and you're just a name in the wind.

So don't make this life more than it is, okay? People spend great, one of the great fundraising tools when people are trying to raise funds is for people to spend a lot of money to build something in their name. So you'll see at Baylor Hospital, you'll see the name of major donors, the building named after them, you know, because it's important to not be forgotten. But he says, you will be in obscurity. You'll be in obscurity. So he says, verse 5, It never sees the sun and it never knows anything. It is better off than he. In other words, because you become obscure. Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not enjoy good things, do not all go to one place.

Okay? He's arguing for a quality of life to be more important than a quantity of life. Verse 10, Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is, for he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is.

For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man? For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life, he will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him?

But here it is, under the sun. So what he is saying here is he wants to make sure that you understand your priority. God has designated—it's appointed under man wants to die. Okay? You may be late for a lot of things in your life. You'll be on time for that one. You have a name and you have a number. You're working out, running, or God has taken all that into consideration. You know, you're on the treadmill, you're jogging, you got vitamins all up in the cabinet.

You're doing all this stuff and get hit by a car. I mean, you know, it's appointed under man wants to die. And what he wants you to do under the sun among men is to maximize your lifetime during the few years you have here.

He comes to chapter 7 and we'll look at a few things here. A good name is better than good ointment or perfume and cologne. A good name means your reputation. He says, a reputation, a good reputation, is better than perfume if you're a lady, cologne if you're a man. Now, why do we put on perfume and cologne? To smell sweet. To smell sweet.

Put it on mostly every day. To have this good scent coming from us that others pick up on. We've all heard people say, what is that you have on? Because that means they picked up the scent. He says a good name that is a good reputation, that's what you want people to pick up on. That you're a person of dignity and character. You're maybe not perfect, none of us are. But that being around you is sweet. Being around you has a good smell to it. You have people that you don't want to be around. You probably have some folk who don't want to be around you.

That means that something emanates from you, at least in their view, that doesn't smell right, that doesn't seem right, that you can't trust. So he is saying, work on your reputation. On your character. We all can improve.

We all need to improve. But make that a focus. Like you make focus smelling sweet.

Make a focus that your name is good. Some cologne is only a cologne by name. Some perfume is only a perfume by name. Smell like medicine. But it's got the name cologne or perfume.

That's why you want a good name. You want a good smell. And the word good in the Bible means beneficial.

Other people want to be around it because they pick up on the scent. So you want people to want to be around you for the sake of quality, the quality person that you are or seeking to be. He then said something that I preach a lot when I do funerals, verse 2, It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, and when a face is sad, a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure. If I would take those verses 2 through 4 and summarize them, here's what he says. It's better to go to a funeral than a party.

That's what he said. The house of mourning versus the house of feasting. Now back in the day, you think back, you'll remember, you want to know where to party. Where's the party?

You went looking for a party or excited when you were told about a party. Have you gone around and ever asked, where's the funeral? Remember, I need me a funeral. I just got the weekend coming up. I got to find me a funeral. It's the weekend. Everybody need to go to a funeral on the weekend, you know?

Probably never done that. You go to a funeral because you have to. You don't go to a funeral because you want to.

Yet, he says the house of mourning is better than the house of feasting. Because at a party, you don't get the truth. Everything is camouflaged at a party.

Everybody's looking the part, talking the part, laughing, you got the music playing, you're dancing, you know. You had a party and you don't see the real deal because the environment is not conducive to reality. In fact, people go to parties to escape reality. They go to parties to have something to take them out of the humdrum or the struggle of life.

So here's my assignment, or here's Solomon's assignment. He says, find a funeral. Don't wait till you have to go to one.

Just go to one. Because the house of mourning is better than the house of feasting. Why? Because then you are reminded of reality. Notice what he says. He says, because there, that is the end of every man.

There's probably not too many people. I know it's true of me. I've done my share of funerals. And all of us knows what it is to be seated out here, to look at that casket up there, and the thought race through your mind, one day that's me.

One day that's me. They ain't gonna tell you that at a party. They ain't, you know, at a party, you know, you're doing your thing at a party, you know. They ain't telling you that at a party. The party skips this.

And it's designed not to deal with that. And the Bible does say enjoy life. But what he says, the benefit of a funeral is, is it reminds you of what's important. It reminds you that life is limited.

It reminds you that there, you know, an eternal perspective, because time is short. He says there, only at a funeral do you learn you're in. The mind, verse 4, of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure. So he'd differentiate in closing between a wise mind and a fool's mind. He's dealing with where your mind is. If you only think in terms of a party, then you're going to not see life as it really is.

You're not going to take it seriously, because you're escaping it all the time. But in the house of mourning, you've got to take life serious. And you've got to be reminded, I only got a few years left, so let me maximize it for good. For God, then for good, so that whatever life I have, I'm living it well and gaining a good name in the process. So may God give us, no matter where you're starting from, the pursuit of a good name.

No matter what your name was or is or has been, go for a good name. Dr. Tony Evans, talking today about living a life punctuated by God. Well, today's lesson is part of Tony's powerful, practical new series called How to Avoid a Wasted Life. It contains nine messages exploring the wisdom of finding joy in everyday life and seeking the things that will last for eternity. As I mentioned earlier, this collection is yours when you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on this station. And as an added bonus, for a limited time, we're including an inspiring perpetual 365-day Kindness Flip Calendar, good to be used in any year. Be sure to take advantage of this unique resource package while you still can. Just visit tonyevans.org to get the details and to make your contribution and request. That's tonyevans.org or call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That number again, 1-800-800-3222. Many people are smart, but not so many are wise. Dr. Evans says the difference between the two is dramatic and can make more of an impact on your life than property and possessions combined. Be sure to join him again on Monday as he continues our look at the path to godly wisdom. The alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by The Urban Alternative and is made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like you.