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 "VANITY OF VANITIES"

BY PASTOR JOE SANTOS

I WAS JUST SITTING AROUND MY HOME THIS PAST WEEK ON THE ONE OCCASION WHERE  I HAD NOT A WHOLE LOT TO DO. I WAS IN MY DEN WHEN I HEARD, COMING FROM MY KITCHEN ,MY GRANDSON AND HIS FRIENDS YELLING OUT AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS, "O MY GOD". THEY SAID IT OVER AND OVER, SO I CAME IN AND ASKED THEM IF THERE WAS SOME SPIRITUAL REVIVAL GOING ON IN THIS ROOM. THEY LOOKED AT ME AS IF I WAS COMING OUT OF LEFT FIELD. SO I REPEATED MY QUESTION TO THESE BOISTEROUS LADS. THIS TIME THEIR CURIOSITY GOT THE BEST OF THEM SO THEY ASKED ME WHAT I WAS MEANING BY A SPIRITUAL REVIVAL. WELL, I SAID, THE ONLY OTHER OPTION TO SAYING OH MY GOD WAS FOR THEM TO BE GUILTY OF SAYING  GOD'S NAME IN VAIN.  ANYWAY I DID GET TO EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANT TO TAKE OUR LORD'S NAME IN VAIN BUT IT GOT ME TO THINKING ON HOW OFTEN DO WE DO THE SAME THING WITHOUT THINKING. WE DO IT IN OUR SPEECH ALSO IN OUR ACTIONS. FOR EXAMPLE WHEN WE ARE DISOBEDIENT TO OUR LORD'S COMMAND TO LOVE OTHERS IN A WAY THAT WE PUT THEIR INTERESTS ABOVE OUR OWN. THIS IS VANITY IN A SPIRITUAL SENSE BECAUSE IT IS TURNING FROM HONORING OUR LORD TO SATISFYING OUR FLESHLY INTERESTS. THIS IS VANITY ALSO. I MEAN WHO CARES WHAT WE KNOW T HOW MUCH WE CARE ABOUT OUR LORD'S WORD UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH WE CARE ABOUT THEM. I SOMETIMES FAIL IN THIS RESPECT BUT THERE IS NO EXCUSE.\ FOR IT.  IT IS MERELY A MATTER OF MY NOT SURRENDERING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ME. SO ARE YOU SOMETIMES  GUILTY AT TIMES OF LIVING OUT THE LORD'S HONOR IN VAINE. THE BIBLE  TELLS US ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER ONE ALL IS VANITY AND A SEEKING AFTER THE WIND. IN REGARD TO OUR WISDOM  WE ARE TOLD IN THIS BOOK ALL THAT IS DONE UNDER THE SUN IS VANITY AND A STRIVING AFTER THE WIND. OH YES WE SPEW OUT THE VANITIES FROM OUR TONGUES IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THIS GRIEVES OUR LORD. IT REALLY DOES. IT INCLUDES SAYING OUR LORD'S NAME IN VAIN, BUT IT INVOLVES SO MUCH MORE. VANITY IN OUR RELIGION IS ANOTHER PLACE WE SPEAK THE LORD NAME BY OUR SEEKING RECOGNITION. BUT THE PROBLEM IS WE FORGET THE VANITY OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN TRUE TO PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD. OUR GAZE BELOVED MUST BE ON THE CRUCIFIED LORD. WE MUST HAVE A REVERENTIAL AWE ON WHAT HE HAS DONE AND THEN WE WILL DISCOVER THE ESCAPE FROM SPEAKING OR LIVING HIS LIFE IN VANITY. WHEN WE LEARN THIS AS WE ABIDE IN HIS WORD AND LIVE THE CROSS CENTERED LIFE THEN  WHEN WE LIFT OUR VOICES TO SPEAK TO OUR GOD IT WILL  BE, NOT WORDS OF VANITY, BUT RATHER OF PRAISE. THIS IS WHAT WILL PRECISELY HAPPEN FROM OUT OF A HEART THAT HAS THAT REVERENTIAL AWE OF OUR LORD.