Out of Sight, Out of Mind... the Wayfarer 8/17/17
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
8/17/17
8/17/17
Ecclesiastes 9:13-15 KJV
13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:
14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
How short the memory of men, how short the span of their attention! How easily distracted as importance is assigned to issues both great and small!
The old saying, "out of sight, out of mind", applies to point of focus in the lives of so many, that focus appears to be lost to the ever shifting demands of others attempting to direct those lives.
Once those issues are "resolved" by the removal of that focus, they are forgotten... until reappearing time and again as focus is once more placed on those continuing issues being intentionally displaced.
"Round and round she goes, where she stops nobody knows" is the cry heard from the croupier at the roulette wheel, as bets are placed with certainty and uncertainty on the stopping point of the ball travelling in opposite direction to the wheel.
Solomon wrote with certainty of soul of the vanity of man's continual gamble, and with absolute certainty of the outcome of that gamble.
14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
How short the memory of men, how short the span of their attention! How easily distracted as importance is assigned to issues both great and small!
The old saying, "out of sight, out of mind", applies to point of focus in the lives of so many, that focus appears to be lost to the ever shifting demands of others attempting to direct those lives.
Once those issues are "resolved" by the removal of that focus, they are forgotten... until reappearing time and again as focus is once more placed on those continuing issues being intentionally displaced.
"Round and round she goes, where she stops nobody knows" is the cry heard from the croupier at the roulette wheel, as bets are placed with certainty and uncertainty on the stopping point of the ball travelling in opposite direction to the wheel.
Solomon wrote with certainty of soul of the vanity of man's continual gamble, and with absolute certainty of the outcome of that gamble.
Ecclesiastes 9 (KJV)
9 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:
14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
Still, even that very certainty is held in disdain as that very vanity proceeds merrily on its way, allowing young and old alike to conveniently "forget" lessons already taught time and again, learned through experience... the hard way... again and again.
Focus removed from the important and placed on the trivial make the trivial of seemingly great importance, while denying the inevitable importance of the real.
Nations erupt into dispute within themselves over non issues, as real issues fester and grow ever more dangerous, looming ever closer to the point at which the failure of the nation itself is as certain as those failing before it that ignored the same issues while arguing the importance of petty differences that once held importance in a reality long since gone.
The importance of REAL issues, REAL differences in the results of REAL good and REAL evil are placed on back burners to simmer until the pot boils over, or boils dry, eventually burning and making what was placed in that pot unusable as well as unpalatable to all who stirred it.
The same is true of bread placed in an oven to bake, then ignored until it is charred beyond recognition, unfit for consumption by even the least fastidious diner.
There must always be focus maintained on that being built, or the result of the building becomes a shambles as the design and demand for proper material is ignored.
Focus IS maintained by GOD on this forgetful creature, without distraction or forgetfulness despite the attention deficit that remains innate within that creature.
The certainty of GOD's will exceeds the vanity of that creature in unchangeable, unrelenting REALITY of both the promise delivered him, and the warnings delivered as well.
When Jesus was sent to live among us, to minister to us, to be sacrificed FOR and instead of us, we were never "out of sight, out of mind".
From the day of creation man has never been "out of sight, out of mind" for God, but rather continually in sight of God, in His Mind, and in His Heart as well.
From the time Adam chose disobedience to this day, man continues to attempt to keep God "out of sight and out of mind."
The distractions that continually force their way to the fore will always attempt to keep Him there.
Each man faces the eventuality that will return God to the center of sight and mind for far longer than the brief attention span of an inattentive child, a span that encompasses eternity focused on whether attention given was adequate, or inadequate to the message brought by Jesus to:
"REPENT! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Focus then will fall where it should continually be placed, as promise is delivered with finality to believer and unbeliever...focus bringing joy or focus bringing only sorrow for having kept both warning and promise "out of sight, out of mind".
Luke 21:22-31
King James Version (KJV)
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
The time has come to return Christ Jesus to mind, and sooner than later to sight as well.
It is time to look up from the distractions provided to keep focus always away from the reality of the certainty, rather than the vanity that demands that distraction.
2 Timothy 1:12
King James Version (KJV)
12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer
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