“Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9).
TEXT — Ecclesiastes 11:7-10
Message
A man was a terror in an agrarian set-up. Whenever people were having public functions like burials or weddings, they offered him some cash with a goat to placate him. He visited anyone that did not consult him with wrath. He used his evil power to make rain fall to disrupt public functions. After years of inflicting pains on the people, he was afflicted with a strange illness that later claimed his life. The man died without the opportunity of repenting and forsaking all his evil deeds.
The end of this man reflects the central message for meditation today. Our text first portrays the beauty of light and the desire of human beings to behold it. It also enjoins us to always remember the day of darkness. Specifically, it warns the youth against living in contravention of the commandments of God. While it emphasises the resolve of God to judge every man according to their deeds, the text challenges the youth to put away all forms of fleshly and worldly lusts because such amount practically to nothing when the day of judgment shall come upon them.
No matter how long we live in bliss, opulence and wealth in this world, the day of darkness shall surely come upon the living, which signifies the end of every man’s life. It also denotes the day when the mortal shall take his place in the grave. Every departed soul shall face the realities of his deeds on earth, for it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
Since the Lord shall judge every man according to his deeds, the onus is on believers to warn the backslidden and those who have not forsaken their sin that the day of reckoning is near. They should turn to Jesus before it is too late. The unfruitful Christians should also be redirected into the Vineyard for productive labour for the Lord.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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