The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. – Ecclesiastes 12:13
In 1700, Nicholaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf was born into a wealthy and influential European family with a home atmosphere of prayer, Scripture reading, and hymn singing. He showed signs of strong leadership as a youth, and after graduating from university studies, he did what many nobles of the time did—he embarked on a grand tour of Europe, visiting art museums, palaces, places of learning, and more. In Dusseldorf, while studying a painting of Jesus in the art museum titled “Behold the Man,” he noted the inscription below it, which said, “I Did This For Thee; What Hast Thou Done For Me?” He is reported to have responded, “I have loved Him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for Him.”
Have you ever asked yourself what you have actually done for the Lord? In his commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, Bible scholar and author Joseph Benson writes, “Fear God Which is put here for all the inward worship of God, reverence, and love, and trust, and a devotedness of heart to serve and please him; and keep his commandments This is properly added, as a necessary effect, and certain evidence of the true and genuine fear of God. Make conscience of practicing whatever God enjoins, how costly, or troublesome, or dangerous soever it may be. For this is the whole duty of it is the sum of what he need either know, or do, or enjoy.“ Pastor David Jeremiah says, “The prospect of this coming judgment should motivate us to please the Lord in our daily life, running our spiritual race toward His heavenly rewards.”
The time is coming when every Christian will be held accountable before God for the words they have spoken and the actions they have taken (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12, 2 Corinthians 5:10). James says “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). Be accountable before the Lord today. Confess and repent of your shortcomings and commit to serve Him. As for Count Zinzendorf, he ultimately became a religious and social reformer, and bishop of the Moravian Church.
Today’s Verse: Ecclesiastes 12:13
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Philippians 3:8-16
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
