“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

A large corporation brought in a consultant to give them a forecast about the next 5 years. As they surrounded the conference table awaiting his prognostication, the consultant said, “everything will be about the way it’s always been.”

There will be weather, seasons, traffic, births, deaths, holidays, elections, etc. There will be good times and low ones. That is the record of history. The sad condition of mankind is that many live expecting it always to be different, to always be better, and are unhappy and bitter when it’s not.

The preacher wrote, “there is no new thing under the sun.” We can reasonably predict what life will be like next year.

We will never predict the details, but we can reasonably expect certain things.

We all should be expecting to pile up a TREASURE. We need money & stuff for our earthly needs, and to share with those in need (Eph 4:28). We should expect those things if we’re doing those things God has prescribed in His word. A word of caution, we may become distracted from serving God and will be heaping up treasure against ourselves in judgment. “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (James 5:3; cf. Matt 6:19-21).

We as Christians ought to expect to bear our Cross. “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). This is about commitment to the Cause of Christ and not about some personal pain or shortcoming.

We also ought to expect more wisdom, but we must seek it. Education is one thing nobody can take away from us. Divine wisdom is the most precious of all (Prov 8:1-11).

Christians ought to expect Persecution, but we think it strange even though the Holy Spirit said to expect it (2Tim 3:12).

Everyone ought to expect High & Low eXtremes (Ecc 3:1-10). Sadly, folks expect things to always be better than they are with no pain whatsoever. That condition is in Heaven, and we ought to see the pain in this life as motivation to qualify for the next.

Finally, we all ought to expect Eternity to begin for us. Whether we meet Jesus after our death, or we remain alive when he returns, there is an Eternal hereafter. Where do you want to spend your ETERNITY? “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thess 4:17).

Agape, Spencer

We invite you to visit one of our services at the Franklin & Juniper st church of Christ in Borger, Texas.