Latest / HBCWestminster / Ecclesiastes Session Eight 7.31.19

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Ecclesiastes Session Eight 7.31.19 · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  So we're going to be in Ecclesiastes chapter 11 tonight. I don't think that you can study Ecclesiastes without doing a little soul-searching and evaluation of your own life, am I right? I try to be good about doing regular evaluations, but I have to admit that this study has brought to mind a bunch of stuff that I hadn't thought about in a really long time.
• 0:25
  You know, it's interesting. Life is an interesting thing because we can only live it while we're going forward. But so often we only understand it when we stop and take the time to look back and reflect. And this is what Solomon did. Ecclesiastes is a tricky book to study. I'm going to end with that. In preparing for tonight's lesson, I had read several different commentaries written by really smart Bible scholars.
• 0:55
  And they all had a little different take on this particular section of scripture. That was super helpful, let me tell you. Keep in mind that I am a hairdresser and not a Bible scholar. So I'm going to do my best to share with you the things that the Lord has shown me through this. And if you can just have some reasonable expectations about tonight, that would be really awesome.
• 1:25
  So I entitled this evening's lesson, I don't know how this all works, but I'm going to share what I learned anyways. I debated initially, I was going to say, well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of my own actions, but I decided against it. Now it's become this running inside joke with the table leaders and everything. So, well, well, well, I didn't use that title after all.
• 1:54
  Okay, so let's begin with a word of prayer. Father God, I just thank you so much for this book of Ecclesiastes. Thank you that we have just been able to learn so much this summer. I just ask that you would reveal yourself to us tonight in these verses and convict our hearts if needed. God get us. Lord, I just ask that you would calm my nerves and that you would just speak through me. I ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. I feel like there's feedback. Is it ringing?
• 2:24
  Yeah, how can I fix that? Okay. It's because I'm right under. Okay. Okay. I'll try not to trip on this stuff. Oh. It's all about how we live. It has nothing to do with content at all. Just so you know. It's all smoke and mirrors, ladies. Oh. Okay. So up until this point, the preacher has been questioning what life is all about and if life is even worth living. He'd been living it up.
• 2:57
  Trying anything and everything that life under the sun had to offer. And here was a man who had everything and yet felt like it was all worth nothing. And he concluded that life was monotonous, wisdom was vanity and often lacked value, wealth was just frivolous, and that it didn't really matter who you were, rich or poor, death was inevitable. That's pretty bleak and depressing, right?
• 3:25
  But even though at first Solomon came to these disheartening conclusions, this is not where he lands. This isn't where he ends the book. And thank goodness he decided to do a little soul searching and reviewed his own arguments. He finally put that wisdom to good use. But this time he brought God into the picture. What a difference that made, right? He realized that life wasn't monotonous, but rather filled with challenging situations from God.
• 3:53
  He saw that God used these situations to fulfill its own purpose and in its own time. He learned that he could use his wealth not only for enjoyment, but also to bring glory to God. But even Solomon, in all of his wisdom, couldn't explain everything. See, I'm not the only one who doesn't know it all, but he was willing to share with us what he had learned. He realized that there were mysteries in this world that only God knows.
• 4:20
  and that it's better to follow God's wisdom than to practice man's folly. As for the certainty of death, there's no way to escape it. No one's getting out of here alive. But we should let this motivate us to enjoy life now and make the most of every opportunity that God gives us. C.S. Lewis wrote, If you live for the next world, you get this one in the deal. But if you live only for this world, you lose them both.
• 4:51
  And God can teach us powerful lessons, and he can use us in extraordinary ways when we choose to view our challenging situations as opportunities to glorify him with our lives. And God definitely gets all the glory for the things that he's done in my life, which I'll share about later. He gets all the glory. When we bring God into the picture, our lives are filled with purpose, and we are invited to experience the fullness of joy.
• 5:20
  while we're here under the sun. It's not so pointless after all. But when we deviate from God's original plan, ignore warnings, and choose our own sinful way, our lives become filled with darkness, and the feeling of hopelessness can quickly consume us. Ask me how I know that. So chapter 11 advises us to be wise in the light of an uncertain future. Solomon basically boils it all down to a call for decision and obedience.
• 5:51
  Now, one commentary that I read put it this way. If we read Ecclesiastes with this in mind, we avoid understanding that any part of the text has a decline into hopelessness and hedonism. Now, based on the information that I gathered, there appears to be more than one interpretation of the first few verses, but thankfully the multiple interpretations and translations don't destroy the foundational truths of the text.
• 6:18
  I don't know if it really matters where you settle in your interpretation because the concepts of investment, risk, and faith remain the same, and the call to action rather than inaction still jumps out from the text. I'm not going to get into the different interpretations of these verses tonight because there's a couple, but I would encourage you to study them out for yourselves.
• 6:43
  They're really interesting. I did learn a lot. So I would encourage you to study that out for yourself. Okay, so here we go. If you're following, it's verses 1 and 2. Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven or to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. Now, I like what Charles Spurgeon had to say about these verses. He said, give a portion to seven and also eight.
• 7:11
  If that be a perfect number, give beyond it. Spurgeon goes on to say, give to more than you can afford to give. Help some who are doubtful, some who are outside of the perfect number, and give them a portion, a fair portion. Our Savior went beyond Solomon, for he said, give to every man that asketh of thee. You don't know what need there might be of you, nor what need may come.
• 7:40
  to you and how you might need to be helped by those whom you have helped. Now repeatedly, Solomon has urged his readers to pursue the opportunities that God gives under the sun. The traditional view of this text involves almsgiving. Texts like Proverbs 19, 17, whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord and he will repay him for his deed, lend further support to this approach involving a principle of ultimate compensation for generosity.
• 8:10
  And as I studied this, I read in one of the commentaries about how people back in that time, when they were on their boats or near the shore, they would cast out seeds upon the shore. And those seeds would settle into the sediment, and then when the water would recede, then these crops would grow.
• 8:36
  And so the purpose for that being that the people on the shore could collect them and use them for their bread or whatever food needs that they had. So it was a way for them to give out of what they had to help people who didn't have anything. I just thought that was interesting. But that could be partly where they get this cast your bread upon the water. That was one theory. Friends, here's the crux of the matter. Cast your bread upon the waters.
• 9:06
  Do good, right? Help as many people as you can along the way because you never know when you yourself may be of help. I've seen this in my own life even. But be ridiculously generous. Make investments in people. Because if you fail to invest, you're going to fail to gain a return. It's just that simple. And not all investments will be profitable.
• 9:32
  Or it may take some time to see the return on your investment. Now, even though I didn't present the other interpretations here about commercial pursuits involving ocean-going ships, both involve making an investment that entails risk with the use of profits gained from one's labor. And there's no need to get dogmatic about it, I don't think, because it's pretty basic. Don't hoard your bread, right?
• 10:01
  What happens when you hoard your bread? It rots and it's pointless. It's good for nothing. You can't help anybody. So don't hoard your wealth. Invest in many things that bring glory to God. Use it to help others. Tim and I feel really strongly. We don't feel called to the mission field, but we definitely feel a strong call and responsibility to support our missionaries financially because we see just how much God uses that. So that's what this is talking about.
• 10:30
  Be generous with what you have. Be generous with the gifts and the abilities that God has given you. Our attitude should be, if I can help, I will help. There are so many blessings that can be received when we help others. So let's do a heart check really quick. How are you doing at casting your bread on the waters? Are you generously using what God has given you to help others? Or are you hoarding your bread?
• 10:58
  seizing those opportunities when they may arise. Let's continue reading verses 3 and 6. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth. And if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
• 11:23
  As you do not know the way the Spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. Alright, let's talk about perfect planting conditions for a bit. Is there a really?
• 11:52
  Such a thing. I mean, let's be honest. Kaiser puts it this way. Whenever an individual waits for perfect conditions before either sowing or reaping, failure and loss may very well follow. Over hesitancy and making decisions involving risk can result in the best time passing by during inactivity. The paralysis of inaction results in lost opportunities.
• 12:20
  Now, I think that the text here pretty clearly lays out the fact that the wise person recognizes that they need to continuously labor in the fields in order to see the harvest. And the day that we plant the seed isn't the day that we eat the fruit, right? We know that. Now, don't misunderstand me. God alone gives the fields increase, but it's our responsibility to tend the crops.
• 12:46
  Remember Paul's description of spreading the gospel in 1 Corinthians 3.6. I planted, Apollo slaughtered, but God gave the growth. That would indicate that there's an ongoing process, right? I like that the Bible uses several agricultural metaphors, probably because they're so relatable. I personally enjoy gardening.
• 13:11
  But those of you who do gardening of any kind understand the amount of work that it takes to see the fruits of your labor, right? Let me ask you this. Do you just plop those seeds in the dirt and say, okay, little buddy, just do your thing? Ruth had a shake in her head. She's like, no. You do everything in your power to set those little suckers up for success, right? You make sure to water them and give them fertilizer. You plant them where they're going to get the right amount of sun.
• 13:42
  You prune them so they grow big and strong and you protect and shelter them when you see a dark storm cloud overhead filled with hail that could potentially shred them to bits. You're super bummed when the seeds that you plant just don't survive. You forcefully remove the pesky little cutter worms that munch on your lovely petunias. You smash their little bodies until they become one with the cement because they leave holes and they take away from the beauty and perfection.
• 14:10
  Of the perfect petals. You threaten small children that they tromp on your flowers in hot pursuit of ladybugs and roly-polies? I'm not saying that's how I garden or anything, so don't read into that, okay? Lily's over here going, no, that is straight up legit how she gardens. She called me cute about it the other day, though. Anyways, I was picking the worms out. They're gross. They're horrible. We have a war going on. Here's the deal.
• 14:47
  We need to stay busy. We absolutely have to tend to our fields in expectation for God to bring them to success. We need to identify what keeps us from tending our fields. What are we waiting for? What is preventing us from sowing those seeds? Tidball summarizes verses 3 and 5 under three headings. Number one, don't be paralyzed by inevitability. The wind is going to blow.
• 15:16
  The storms of life are going to come. Number two, don't be paralyzed by speculation. They probably don't want to know Jesus, you know, like they seem to be into their own thing. Number three, don't be paralyzed by ignorance. We have no idea what God is doing or how he is working. We have no idea which seeds will prosper. So to be on the safe side, let's just plant our little hearts out and just assume that it's all good soil.
• 15:49
  I personally would venture to add a fourth. Don't be paralyzed by guilt and regret. 2 Corinthians 9.6 says, He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. That was harder than I thought it was going to be. There was a long period in my life that I was sowing sparingly because I didn't feel worthy to pour myself into the lives of others. It felt hypocritical.
• 16:26
  I allowed myself to be paralyzed by guilt and shame and fear because I hadn't dealt properly with some things in my past. And a few years ago, God used a devotional I was reading to bring me to a place where I was ready to surrender the guilt and the shame that had a hold on me. You see, up until that point, I had never shared my dark and shameful secret with anyone, not even my husband. And I had been putting it off out of fear of what he might say or think of me.
• 17:03
  The uncertainty of how Tim would respond terrified me, but I knew that God was calling me to expose this last little bit of darkness from my past. I could see how it was preventing me from serving him to my fullest, as I knew that he wanted me to. I finally mustered up the courage to tell Tim the whole story. His response could not have brought more healing. But you want to know what he did, right? He just cried with me.
• 17:54
  And he said, babe, I can't believe that you've been holding on to this all by yourself for so long. And then he just held me. And it was as if someone just flipped on a giant floodlight in my heart. And for the first time in a long time, absolutely everything, every corner of my heart was filled with glorious light. It was fully illuminated. And Satan no longer had a foothold. It was gone. And sometimes you don't feel.
• 18:31
  The weight of something you've carried until you feel the weight of its release. It's unbelievable to me how many ministry opportunities God has just laid in front of me since then. I feel like I'm slowly becoming the person that I should have been all along. And I'm sad that I wasted so much time being paralyzed by my guilt and my shame. But I'm so thankful for how God nudged me.
• 19:03
  To face what was preventing me from experiencing all that he intended for me. And God gets full of glory. So ladies, if you have allowed the guilt and the shame from your past sins to paralyze you, may I just encourage you to release it. Just muster up the power or just the courage to let God illuminate your heart. And if you're waiting for the perfect time, it could be tonight. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you.
• 19:42
  And I'm just going to cry with you, and I'm going to pray with you, and I'm going to hold you. Like I said, there's nothing that could have been more healing. Okay, time for another heart check. How is your spiritual gardening going? Is there something paralyzing you and preventing you from staying busy in your field? Do you wait for so-called perfect conditions to plant? If you are planting seeds of the gospel, do you neglect to nurture that seed?
• 20:19
  Are you willing to risk injury to yourself in order to warn and protect those seeds from the devastation and destruction of sin and its consequences? Are you deeply saddened when you see that the seeds that you planted just don't look like they're going to make it? Are you willing to remove the things that eat away and destroy the beauty of your own delicate petals? So let's move on. Verses 7 and 8. Light is sweet and it is pleasant for the eyes.
• 20:54
  So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. Solomon admonishes us to accept life as a gift and learn to enjoy all that God shares with us. Do you anticipate each new day with joy and see it as a fresh gift from God every morning? I'd say generally yes, but only after my first cup of coffee.
• 21:25
  Psalm 118.24 serves as a great daily reminder. I'm sure this verse is really familiar to many of you. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. We can't predict the ups and downs in life. We experience truly wonderful and pleasant days as well as really awful and traumatic days. And they seem to enter in and fade out of our lives seamlessly. We can't predict.
• 21:55
  We just can't predict them. Regardless of how many years God may grant each of us, we are to rejoice in them all, but also remember that the days of darkness will be many. Now, I spent a fair amount of time thinking about this. I thought about all the great days that I've had. I had countless happy days as a child, and I have two loving and adorable parents. My mom is sitting right there. I can't look at her, otherwise I'm going to cry. More. Even more.
• 22:26
  There's a bet going on. Well, maybe I've started it. Bob is teaching next door. I don't know which one of us is crying more. Probably me. My money's on me right now. I enjoy my career. I've had plenty of great days at work. I married a wonderful man. He truly is a treasure and probably the biggest blessing in my life. And I always tell him that I love him and I like him because there is a difference, right? Like you can love your husband, but you don't always like him.
• 22:56
  I love him, and I like him, and I think he's cute. But our wedding day itself was kind of hectic, but there have been thousands of days after that special day that have been pretty darn great. I have three fantastic kids who bring joy to my life and make me smile every day. I have so many incredible friends, and I don't think I've ever had a bad day with any of them.
• 23:20
  I've had so many days that are filled with light, and they are so easy to rejoice over. And I truly am thankful for them all. Now, the average life expectancy of a woman is approximately 80 years or so. I will be 41 years old in two weeks from today, Lord willing. So according to this statistic, I've already lived over half my life. While I've just shared...
• 23:48
  that I've had many days to rejoice over. I've also had my fair share of dark days and sorrows. I've grieved the deaths of loved ones and good friends. I've suffered severe consequences for my own foolish choices, which, if I'm being honest, some of the darkest days I've ever had have been a direct result of the emotional scars that stemmed from those poor choices.
• 24:15
  I've had falling outs with friends and family. While I would say that my marriage is overall really great, there have definitely been some rough patches that we've had to work through. Tim and I have also had to weather an unexpected job layoff. I've been in three car accidents and sustained a whiplash injury from one of them. A strong case could be made that that was God chastening me. I've been robbed at gunpoint.
• 24:45
  I've suffered more than one miscarriage. I've had broken bones. I blew out my knee in a skiing accident. A strong case could also be made that that was also God-chastening. And this is for the title, well, well, well, if it isn't. Yeah, yeah, you know the rest. Yeah, a real strong case could be made for that one. Apparently, I have a rebellious heart and I'm a slow learner.
• 25:14
  You discover things about yourself and you, you know, look back. I've had to have pre-cancer cells removed. A couple years ago I went to the ER because half my body got extremely weak and half of my face went completely numb. After running a bunch of tests that gave no explanation, I went to see two more doctors, but they never figured out what was going on.
• 25:37
  I regain my strength, but to this day, one quarter of my face is still completely numb, and my tongue always feels like it's been burned by hot coffee. That's my normal. So who knows? Maybe I might be a ticking time bomb, and I won't make it to that 80-year mark after all. I don't know. Not to mention all the tough times and scary moments I've experienced as a mom. And these are just the ones that I could think of. But let's just say that I am at the halfway mark.
• 26:05
  That's a lot of dark days. And I'm going to tread lightly here. I know there are some adult-ier adults in the room who are a little bit closer to that 80-year mark. I'm not pointing fingers, Marilyn, but, you know, you know who you are. Past it. I know Jo just had a birthday. I won't say her age, but, you know, bravo, you little overachiever. You're cute. You went way past it. Good for you.
• 26:42
  You've got to keep going, that's right. So it would probably be safe to assume that your dark days are double than mine, or more, considering that a majority of my dark days only happened within the last 20 years or so. And more than likely, you've suffered the loss of even more loved ones. More than likely, you've had more health challenges, injuries, and chronic pains, and you may not be able to get out and enjoy the sun like you were once able to do.
• 27:11
  But while you can rejoice that you've had a long life, your dark days have been numerous, I'm sure. One commentary put it this way. Oh, let me back up. But I'd be willing to bet that you've experienced twice as many joys that I have as well. And one commentary put it this way. The trials and travails of a lifetime just serve to make the joys all the more pleasant and sweeter.
• 27:38
  Disregard for rejoicing and remembering leads to great disappointment because everything yet to come will pass very swiftly. Okay, here's another heart check time. Are you living with a carpe diem attitude? Seize the day. God's gift of life should be enjoyed, not just endured. Are you doing all that you can to seize the day? And if not, what changes could you make in order to make the most of the life that you've been given?
• 28:10
  So let's wrap things up, verses 9 and 10. Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
• 28:35
  Solomon, who is now an old man, has offered advice to young people out of his own missed opportunities. He totally blew it. He knows he can't undo his mistakes. But he takes this opportunity to exhort the youth to make the most of the gifts which God has given. And he encourages them to enjoy their lives.
• 28:59
  But he quickly follows it up with a reminder that they will stand before a holy God and face the final judgment and will have to give an account for their lives. Solomon is simply advising the young people to watch their eyes, their hearts, and their minds because they can all lead them into sin. Walk in the ways of your hearts. Friends, that's not a green light to chase after sinful desires of your heart while yelling, YOLO!
• 29:28
  Wiersbe states, He goes on to say, God does give us richly all things to enjoy. That's in 1 Timothy 6, 17.
• 29:55
  But it is always wrong to enjoy the pleasures of sin. The young person who enjoys life in the will of God will have nothing to worry about when the Lord returns. Now, I'm not saying I'm old or anything, but I have enough life under my belt to know a few things about this. Based on my own life experience thus far, I can tell you that it's way better to follow God's plan and to seek God's wisdom than to follow your own heart.
• 30:25
  It's desperately wicked. So how do I know this to you ask? Well, in my 20s, good old Folly and I were besties, and we were pretty tight for a bit. Remember, I have the rebellious heart, and I'm a slow learner. Yeah, that was that time frame right there. And they say that everything happens for a reason, but sometimes the reason is because you are stupid and you make really bad decisions. Joy's over here shaking her head. It's so true. But guess what?
• 30:57
  Making bad decisions has no age limit. Ask me how I know that as well. I guarantee you're still going to do dumb stuff as you get older, just probably a little bit slower. They're all relating. So Proverbs 3 could not be a more fitting passage to go along with Ecclesiastes 11. Proverbs 3, 7, and 8 tie in especially well here. Be not wise in your own eyes.
• 31:34
  Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. I like this quote by John Piper. The more you taste the sweet joys of Jesus, the more will sin taste bitter to your soul. Fight Satan's taunts with God's pleasures. Friends, no matter what age you are, this should speak to you. Here's the thing with regret.
• 32:10
  Most of the time you don't even realize that you are living out the very moments that will haunt you for years to come. These seemingly harmless guilty pleasures could lead to some of the darkest days of guilt and regret that you will ever know. You can't defeat the demons that you enjoy playing with, so don't mess with it. You know, the very first sin that cursed us all was just a little bite from a piece of fruit.
• 32:53
  Don't think that a little sin can't set you on a path of destruction. We like to think that the places we go, the books we read, the shows and movies we watch, the company we keep, and the lies we tell aren't that big of a deal. But it's simply not true. Charles Spurgeon once said, Resolve to keep close to Christ. Make a stern determination to permit nothing in your life, however gainful or pleasurable,
• 33:26
  if it would dishonor the name of Jesus. I would say those are pretty wise words. We have this to say. Privileges must be balanced by personal responsibilities. Young people must put anxiety out of their hearts and evil away from their flesh. In verse 10, the word sorrow means vexation, inner pain, and anxiety. If we are living in the will of God, we will have the peace of God in our hearts.
• 33:57
  The sins of the flesh only destroy the body and can bring eternal judgment to the soul. The best way to have a happy adult life and a contented old age is to get a good start early in life and to avoid the things that will bring trouble later on. Young people who take care of their minds and bodies avoid the destructive sins of the flesh, build good habits of health and holiness,
• 34:25
  and have a better chance for happy adult years than those who sow their royal oats and pray for crop failure. Therefore, make the most of those dawning years, because you will never see them again. Youthful sins lay a foundation for aged sorrows, said Charles Spurgeon, and he was right. Ladies, no matter where you are in your journey, just remember that everything is figureoutable. U-turns are all...
• 34:57
  But we have to be moving in order for God to turn our car. Remember that God has seen our unloveliness and the deep brokenness and the rebellion in our hearts. And instead of withdrawing, he pursues us to the beautiful end. He pursues us. I think that's pretty amazing because I've done some pretty gross stuff in my life. And I'm sure that as you're sitting here, you're taking account of the things that you've done too.
• 35:41
  And that just really struck a chord in me, that he pursues me even though he knows all of that. I love this quote by Paul David Tripp. We wander, God pursues and reconciles. We stumble and fall, God forgives and restores. We grow tired and weary, but God empowers us by his grace. Oh, thank you, Jesus. So let's be ridiculously generous.
• 36:12
  With all the things that God has blessed us with. Let's not wait for perfect conditions to share Jesus. Let's remember that only God sees the big picture. And we just need to stay busy in the field. Life is a beautiful gift. Let's enjoy it. Let's remember that dark days make the joyful days that much sweeter. Let's rejoice in our youth and put in place a godly foundation for living as early as possible.
• 36:42
  Let's put away our sorrows, vexations, inner pains, and anxiety and live within the will of God that we may enjoy the peace of God in our hearts. Solomon got a lot of stuff figured out by bringing God into the picture and reviewing his own arguments to me. May I encourage you this evening to do a little soul searching of your own. There are some questions on your table. I think we have a few minutes to discuss them.
• 37:16
  And you can either discuss them with your table, or you can just tuck them in your Bible and just get along with the Lord and ask yourself those questions. Hopefully, you will take the time at some point and do some self-evaluating and read your Bible. That's all I have to say. I've got nothing more to say. That's what Joyce said. This is a really tough book to study.
• 37:48
  If you really search it and dig into it, I guarantee you it's going to strike a chord somewhere. I just have really enjoyed this study. I was reluctant to do it at first. Hallie's over there giggling, I'm sure. I wanted to study something else, but God knows what we need when we need it. There's no mystery why we're doing Ecclesiastes.
• 38:16
  And I love that it ties in so well with the Proverbs study that Pastor Danny is doing on Sunday mornings. So that's just what I would encourage you with, is just to get in your Bibles and pray and ask God to reveal to you the things that you need to work on. But just remember, everything is figure audible, and we're able to start wherever we're at.
• 38:44
  You know, if you are older, you don't have to just say, oh, man, there's, you know, I can't start now. You know, I can't go back in my youth. No, of course you can't. But what you can do is you can pour into some of the youth, some of the young adults who are going through this very hard time in their lives. That is, my 20s just took me for a ride. And we can pray.
• 39:12
  We can pray for all of our young adults in our church. Because our 20s and our early years, they're hard. You're figuring a lot of stuff out. You're an amateur in life. And you could use some support. So let's pray for them too. But it's never too late to turn things around for yourself too and to really start to live for God.
• 39:38
  You can choose to stop being paralyzed. You can choose that. And you can choose to use the gifts and the days that God has given you from here on out. You can. So yeah, so let's go ahead and pray. And then, yeah, I think we've got like 15 minutes. Okay. Father God, thank you so much for each and every one of these precious ladies. Thank you for your grace and your mercy. We thank you for second chances.
• 40:06
  Help us to make the most of the gift of life that you've generously given. Lord, may we take all these things to heart and apply them to our lives. God, we love you. God, help us to surrender to you. Help us to do it your way and just see the value of your wisdom. God, we just love you and thank you for all that you do for us. In Jesus' name, amen.