WITHOUT GOD SUCCESS IS FAILURE (3 OF 5)
by Tony Thomas
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4
This content is part of a series.
Without God Success Is Failure (3 of 5)
Series: Without God
Tony Thomas
Ecclesiastes 4
My older brother hated that I hung around his friends because I was always in the way. But I liked it because I got to play with older kids - even though I was always chosen last. Being three years younger, I was shorter, smaller, and thinner. And no matter what sport we played I was always the last pick.
In his book, ''Lake Wobegon Days,'' Garrison Kellior says that he wasn't athletic so he was chosen near the bottom for all of the pick-up game. One line in the story caught my eye: ''Just once I'd like to be picked first and hear someone say, 'I want him,' but I was never chosen with much enthusiasm.''
Can you relate? Some of you were never chosen to be in a Spelling Bee, or sing the solo in the school choir, or named the lead role in the Christmas play. But God places the desire to achieve within all of our hearts.
That's what Solomon talks about in Ecclesiastes 4. For example, verse 4 reads, ''All labor and achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.''
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon warns those with influence what it's really like at the top, to be chosen first with enthusiasm.
This morning I want to make a series of contrasts, comparing what the world applauds with what God values. We have been called to live counter to the culture.
Notice first the Motivation. All of us are motivated in one of two ways: intrinsically, or extrinsically. You're either motivated from within - or from without. Grandfathers tell their grandchildren, ''If you hit a homerun I'll buy you something special.'' That's extrinsic motivation, and the world is motivated extrinsically. Significance is based on impressing others.
Vs. 4, ''All labor and achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor.'' The only reason some work hard is the drive to compete with the neighbors. We want to be ''...chosen first with enthusiasm. ...
Series: Without God
Tony Thomas
Ecclesiastes 4
My older brother hated that I hung around his friends because I was always in the way. But I liked it because I got to play with older kids - even though I was always chosen last. Being three years younger, I was shorter, smaller, and thinner. And no matter what sport we played I was always the last pick.
In his book, ''Lake Wobegon Days,'' Garrison Kellior says that he wasn't athletic so he was chosen near the bottom for all of the pick-up game. One line in the story caught my eye: ''Just once I'd like to be picked first and hear someone say, 'I want him,' but I was never chosen with much enthusiasm.''
Can you relate? Some of you were never chosen to be in a Spelling Bee, or sing the solo in the school choir, or named the lead role in the Christmas play. But God places the desire to achieve within all of our hearts.
That's what Solomon talks about in Ecclesiastes 4. For example, verse 4 reads, ''All labor and achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.''
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon warns those with influence what it's really like at the top, to be chosen first with enthusiasm.
This morning I want to make a series of contrasts, comparing what the world applauds with what God values. We have been called to live counter to the culture.
Notice first the Motivation. All of us are motivated in one of two ways: intrinsically, or extrinsically. You're either motivated from within - or from without. Grandfathers tell their grandchildren, ''If you hit a homerun I'll buy you something special.'' That's extrinsic motivation, and the world is motivated extrinsically. Significance is based on impressing others.
Vs. 4, ''All labor and achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor.'' The only reason some work hard is the drive to compete with the neighbors. We want to be ''...chosen first with enthusiasm. ...
There are 9180 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
