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Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Seven): Contentment

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God, as our Creator, is actively guiding and deeply involved in working within His creation, effectively moving both time and events to fulfill His purposes for individuals and nations. He has given us a priceless gift by putting eternity into our hearts, reminding us that His work involves us in an eternal, spiritual purpose rather than a material one. Satisfaction in life is produced as a result of gifts tendered by God, who is intimately involved with us in working out His purpose as we seek Him. It is the eternal, spiritual relationship with our Creator, in which God gifts us with what we need to use our lives wisely, that brings a balanced and sustained measure of satisfaction. The roots of true satisfaction and contentment lie within God's gifting within a relationship with Him. As sovereign Creator, God is free to act as He sees fit in every situation, and accepting this helps produce the contentment that mankind yearns for. Being in God's presence is the overall solution to finding contentment in life, as it makes everything matter in a positive way when properly blended with the knowledge of His purpose and the deliberate choice to live according to it.

Imagining the Garden of Eden (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Word, identified as the active Creator, was instrumental in the making of all things, with nothing created without Him. In Him was life, inherent and self-sustaining, a quality He has always possessed, shared equally with the Father. They are the sole beings capable of transmitting life to others, serving as the source of all physical life. As spirit beings, existing from eternity past, Their life is of a non-physical nature, imparting a vital force or energy that transcends mere physical existence. God, as Creator and Life-giver, not only brought all things into being but also sustains and governs His creation. In His hand is the life of every living thing, demonstrating His sovereignty and control over life and death. He provides for and works with every part of His creation, holding the power to give life and to take it away. In the detailed act of creation, God meticulously fashioned Adam from the dust of the ground, using the finest materials with intricate craftsmanship. This process involved forming every part of the human body with precision, transforming dust into a complex, multi-celled organism. God's work in creating Adam was not a simple act but a display of extraordinary skill, making him the pinnacle of creation through deliberate and detailed effort. David, reflecting on God's marvelous works, was awestruck by the complexity and interconnectedness of the human body. He recognized the supernatural skill and knowledge required to form a man, appreciating the care God took in crafting Adam as the prototypical man, a perfect physical specimen intended to be the origin of billions of human beings. God formed man from the dust of the ground, linking humanity to the earth through the very elements of soil. This connection emphasizes man's physical, natural state, distinct from the divine or spiritual. Dust, as a symbol, conveys humble origins, low worth, humility, humiliation, frustration, mourning, and mortality, underscoring man's limitations and brevity of life. In giving life to Adam, God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, a process that may have been vigorous and forceful, akin to a powerful act needed to initiate life. This act parallels the spiritual struggle required to enter into eternal life, suggesting that just as physical life was imparted with force, so too is the path to spiritual life marked by determination and resolute effort. God, in His relationship with humanity, provides the strength to overcome, mirroring the care and detail He invested in the creation of man.

God the Father (Part 1)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God the Father, as the highest authority of the Godhead, is intricately involved in the lives of His saints, personally regenerating them and actively participating in their upbringing. He sent Jesus Christ to reveal Himself, offering a profound gift of knowledge and hope through this revelation. Despite the world's unawareness, He remains deeply concerned with all creation and His future sons of glory. As Creator, He brought all things into existence through Jesus Christ, with both Beings working in harmony as creators to accomplish the magnificent work of beginning the creation of new sons for the Kingdom. The Father, as the ultimate source of biblical truth, authorized the works of creation carried out by the Word, who became Jesus Christ. Together, they coexisted before anything else was created, forming a divine Family of one mind and purpose. The Father's intimate involvement in Christ's sacrifice and resurrection was essential, and He continues to sustain the universe, providing humanity with true revelation through the natural world and His Son. Creation itself reveals the results of a universal mind that devised and executed a master plan, affirming His role as the Creator of an orderly universe.