May 17, 2026 | Epilogue | The Good Life / A Good Death

Devotional

Day 1: Perfume and True Names

The woman pours costly oil on Jesus’ feet. The scent fills the house, but Judas complains about waste. Jesus defends her: “She has done a beautiful thing.” Her act reveals a heart unmasked, a life poured out without pretense. A good name needs no perfume to cover shame. [05:39]

Solomon called a good name more valuable than luxury oils. In a culture where names revealed character, this meant living so truthfully that no mask was needed. Jesus praised raw devotion over polished performances.

What smell clings to your life? Do you hide behind achievements, humor, or busyness? Name one relationship where you’ve worn a mask instead of showing your true face.

“A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:1, NLT)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to expose one area you’ve tried to perfume over this week.

Challenge: Write a 3-sentence note encouraging someone who’s seen your unmasked self.

Day 2: Coffins as Teachers

Funeral processions wind through dusty streets. Mourners wail. Solomon insists these scenes teach more than feasts. A coffin preaches urgency: “You still have time to reconcile, to love, to live.” Death strips life of trivialities. [14:22]

Wisdom grows when we stare at life’s end. Jesus told parables of stewards giving final accounts. Paul wrote, “Teach us to number our days.” Mortality isn’t morbid—it’s a mirror showing what matters.

Whose funeral impacted you most? What unfinished conversation or unspoken gratitude would haunt you if today were your last?

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”
(Psalm 90:12, NLT)

Prayer: Confess one trivial pursuit stealing time from eternal priorities.

Challenge: Text someone: “I’m thankful for you because…” before sunset.

Day 3: Iron, Not Wood

Blacksmiths pound red-hot metal. Sparks fly as blade meets blade. Solomon said, “Iron sharpens iron.” Wood dulls edges. The disciples argued about greatness until Jesus washed their feet—iron sharpening iron. [10:15]

Wisdom chooses friction that refines over comfort that weakens. Jesus surrounded Himself with truth-tellers: Peter’s rebukes, Martha’s reminders, Thomas’ doubts. Safe relationships risk hard conversations.

Who challenges you to grow? When did you last let someone question your motives or actions?

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”
(Proverbs 27:17, NLT)

Prayer: Thank God for one person who’s “sharpened” you this month.

Challenge: Invite a trusted friend to critique one area of your character.

Day 4: Nostalgia’s True North

A child stares at fireflies in a jar, longing for summer nights. Solomon warned, “Don’t long for the good old days.” CS Lewis called nostalgia “arrows pointing to heaven.” That ache for lost joy? A preview of Home. [28:01]

Jesus promised a feast where tears and death cease. Every bittersweet memory—grandpa’s laugh, childhood sunsets, old hymns—whispers, “This isn’t all there is.” Wisdom redirects longing from past mirages to future reality.

What nostalgic ache makes your heart heavy? How might that desire be fulfilled in Christ’s eternal kingdom?

“Don’t long for ‘the good old days.’ This is not wise.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:10, NLT)

Prayer: Tell Jesus one earthly joy you’re eager to experience perfected in heaven.

Challenge: Share a childhood memory with a younger person, ending with “But heaven will be better because…”

Day 5: Burned Ships, Open Hands

Cortés’ men burned retreat options. Solomon watched fools clutch money while wise hands stayed open. The church gave $13 million, not knowing permits would delay renovations. Burned ships force forward trust. [41:27]

Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and money.” The widow gave her last coins; Zacchaeus returned fourfold. Burn the Ships isn’t about budgets—it’s about believing God fuels what He ordains.

What “ship” have you secretly kept docked—a financial safety net, a backup plan if God fails?

“You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.”
(1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a, NLT)

Prayer: Name one resource (time, skill, money) you’ve withheld from God’s use.

Challenge: Give $20 (or equivalent) unexpectedly to someone facing hardship today.

Sermon Summary

Ecclesiastes 7 reframes the good life by first stripping away the myth of control. The text names three essentials for life under the sun: a good name, wisdom, and the practiced acceptance of both prosperity and adversity. Solomon says a good name is more valuable than costly perfume, because oils only mask what a person does not want others to see or smell, while character needs no cover. Hebrew “name” signals character and destiny, so the cosmetic route of bravado, curated appearances, and constant resume-dropping only builds a prison. Character, not reputation, carries the weight. Iron strengthens iron, kindness tells the hard truth with love, and a person of his or her word underpromises and overdelivers. A name is never static; it is either building or eroding. For the Christian, a name is meant to reflect the Name above every name.

Solomon then claims the day of death is better than the day of birth. That is not morbid; it is wisdom. A coffin preaches better than comfort because mortality clarifies priorities, shrinks self-importance, and spotlights the small gifts of God in real time. Psalm 90:12 lands the point: numbering days produces wisdom. Death opens a window called “You still have time” to confess, reconcile, and recalibrate direction. The aim becomes simple and striking: let the last day be the best day. That day will be best if loves are rightly ordered, the mission of Jesus takes center stage, generosity and suffering are embraced, and the people closest offer the deepest respect. Most importantly, only Jesus makes a best last day possible. Birth is charged with potential; death in Christ is fulfillment.

Wisdom also rejects escapism. Partying, piling up purchases, numbing with porn or drink, or living in the “good old days” only denies reality. Money can buy almost anything but it corrupts when it starts buying the person; remembrance of death and the blood-price of Christ steadies the heart. Patience resists instant gratification because worthwhile things grow slow. Anger needs a longer fuse if the eulogy is going to match the hope. Nostalgia is not a time machine; it is a homing signal for heaven. God lets that ache point forward, not backward, which frees a person to enjoy prosperity as gift and receive adversity as chiseling grace. Smooth seas never make skilled sailors; iron sharpens iron, but comfort is wood.

Key Takeaways

1. A good name beats perfume [05:39] A name rooted in character outlasts any cosmetic cover-up. Bravado, image, and constant self-advertising only mask insecurity and eventually collapse. Character tells the truth, keeps its word, and blesses others when nobody is watching. Let reputation follow character, not the other way around. [05:39]
2. Funerals teach the good life [14:22] Mortality is a hard but faithful tutor that reorders priorities and exposes self-importance. A coffin preaches what comfort hides, namely that time is short and change is still possible today. Let death’s clarity move confession, reconciliation, and redirection from someday to now. [14:22]
3. Wisdom resists money’s corruption [22:17] Dollar signs can turn a wise person into a fool when the heart starts to be for sale. Remembering death loosens the grip on what cannot be taken along. Remembering Christ’s blood-price says the person has already been bought, which makes bribery and compromise bad bargains. [22:17]
4. Patience grows what pride rushes [23:47] Instant gratification is a poor gardener. The good life lets worthy things take time to form, refusing shortcuts that hollow out the soul. Finishing is better than starting because patience keeps integrity intact when the grind gets long. [23:47]
5. Nostalgia hints at heaven’s future [28:01] That ache for the “good old days” is not a summons to go back but a signal to look ahead. God uses longing to point past even the best memories toward the joy and simplicity of the kingdom to come. Let homesickness for heaven fuel gratitude now and courage for hard days. [28:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:13] - What is the good life?
[01:28] - Control is a myth
[03:02] - Good name, wisdom, acceptance
[04:16] - Funerals teach more than parties
[05:39] - Cover-ups vs a true name
[08:16] - Character over reputation
[21:59] - Wisdom over escapism
[22:17] - Money cannot buy integrity
[23:47] - Patience and slow growth
[24:08] - Anger and a longer fuse
[28:01] - Nostalgia is longing for heaven
[29:48] - Prosperity and adversity received
[35:38] - Burn the Ships update
[46:54] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 (ESV)
A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. The end of a thing is better than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

Observation Questions

What does Ecclesiastes 7:1 compare a "good name" to, and why is this comparison significant?
According to the passage, why is the "day of death" better than the "day of birth"?
How does the text describe the danger of money and bribes in verses 7-8?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Solomon argue that sorrow and mourning are more valuable for gaining wisdom than laughter and feasting?
How does the idea that "the end of a thing is better than its beginning" (v. 8) challenge cultural attitudes toward instant gratification?
What does the warning against asking, “Why were the former days better than these?” (v. 10) reveal about the human tendency to idealize the past?

Application Questions

A good name reflects character, not reputation. What is one area of your life where you’ve prioritized appearances over integrity? How could you shift toward building character this week?
Funerals teach us to reorder priorities. If today were your last day, what relationship, habit, or unresolved issue would you prioritize addressing? What step could you take toward that today?
Money can corrupt when it “starts buying the person.” How have you seen wealth or possessions tempt you to compromise your values? What practical boundary could help guard your heart?
Patience grows what pride rushes. What goal or relationship in your life needs slower, steadier investment instead of a quick fix? How will you practice patience in this area?
Nostalgia points to heaven, not the past. When have you felt a longing for “simpler times”? How could that longing redirect your focus toward eternal hope rather than temporary comfort?
Anger “labels you as a fool” (v. 9). What situation or relationship tends to shorten your fuse? How could reflecting on your legacy (e.g., what you’d want said at your funeral) help lengthen it?

Sermon Clips

The hard part is everything in our culture is selling you a good time constantly, constantly selling you a good time. And fear is used to manipulate and and control. A good time and pleasure, that's used to numb and distract. So if you really wanna live well and if you really wanna live the good life, the truth is funerals are better than parties. Not because they're more fun. If funerals are more fun for you, you're going to the wrong kind of parties. They're better because funerals actually teach you something. [00:13:43] (39 seconds)

The day of birth is all about potential, and potential is great. But do you know what's better than potential? Fulfillment. Birthdays are all about potential. The day of death, that's about fulfillment. If you are a Christian, only at the moment of your death will you finally and perfectly realize everything that Jesus won for you. It will be fulfilled. That's why it's that's why funerals are a great thing. Death does not end life. For Christians, death is the fulfillment of life. [00:18:22] (35 seconds)

Funerals are better than parties because at the day of your death, all of the promises that you have in Jesus are finally fulfilled. That's why it's our last day can be our best day. Funerals are better than parties because they force you to answer this question. What do you want other people to say about you at your funeral? What do you want your spouse to say at your funeral? How about your friends? What do you want your kids to say at your funeral or your grandkids? If you have that in mind, that will help you live well right now so that the last day of your life is the best day of your life. [00:18:58] (36 seconds)

Death will teach you not to prioritize the things in life that don't matter. Death teaches you not to take yourself so seriously and that you are not the center of the universe. Death teaches you to see the little things that are beautiful in life that God has actually given as amazing gifts for you to enjoy while you can. The truth is a coffin preaches much better sermons than comfort does Because you see that death is your end too. And when you see that, you can realize in the moment that right now, not tomorrow or not next year, right now, you still have time. [00:14:22] (37 seconds)

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