Ecclesiastes

SoulSearching Sunday~Power of Love

12:00 AM

Sunday, July 1, 2018


Week Twenty-six

Welcome!  We pray that you have all had a precious time worshipping the Lord this morning!  Below you will find some thought provoking questions that will provide you a starting point to your journal writing to complete this week.  We hope that you will find this time soul satisfying!

Our reading this week was Ecclesiastes 1 - Isaiah 4...

 1. What does it mean to have “eternity planted in the human heart”? When do you sense that truth in yourself? Beauty? Pain? Longing? As you worship, enjoy the eternal meaning, significance, and joy that comes from God alone.

 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

 2. When has anger caused you to act foolishly? In what areas, situations, or even times of day do you tend to have a short fuse? How can you remind yourself to see God in a way that honors Him when you face these situations?

 Don’t be quick-tempered, for anger is the friend of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:9)

 3. Remember a time when you felt the power of love. Human love can be strong, but the love of a heavenly Father is stronger still. How do you feel when you ponder the nail prints in Jesus’ hand and feet? Worship God as you contemplate His amazing love for you.

 Place me like a seal over your heart, or like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, and its jealousy is as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love; neither can rivers drown it. (Song of Songs 8:6,7) 

 Happy 4th of July everyone! Enjoy!

Becky Austin

Life Is Not Fair.(Ecclesiastes 9-12)

4:50 AM


You learn at an early age that life is not fair.  Solomon, in his wisdom, gave a lot of thought to what he observed in life.  It troubled him that it didn’t seem to matter if you pursued selfish, sinful actions or if you tried to pursue righteous, loving actions.  
Dedication to God did not earn anyone exemption from the ups and downs of life.  
“It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice... (v2)

We may not know what is coming at us, but as Christians, we know that God does. 
“But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God... (v1)

The enemy will try to derail your trust in God and get you to focus on how your circumstances differ from others. From these comparisons can arise many enslaving sins such as pride, bitterness, envy, disillusionment, anger, etc.  when we focus on what we think we are missing out on, we struggle to focus on the purposes and blessings of God.  Even in the midst of our trials and sorrows, God continues to love us and promises to help us. The key is to not focus on the unfairness of our circumstances but to look to God to guide us through those circumstances, using those circumstances to make us more Christlike as well as honoring and glorifying Him. 

Solomon realized that life was unfair and the pursuits of man often meaningless.  But, God had given Solomon great wisdom and Solomon also discerned that there was an ultimate purpose to this life. 

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (v13 )

Life may not be fair,  but God is fair and righteous. Regardless of our circumstances, our duty as Christians is to trust and obey.  Evil will not always prevail. Eventually, all that happens in this life will be judged and evil will be eradicated. In the meantime, we are the representatives of Christ on this earth. Others can see Christ when they see us choose to honor him and remain focused on our riches “ in Him” no matter what life circumstances we find ourselves in. 

defeat

Never, Ever, Ever Accept Defeat {Ecclesiastes 6-8}

8:30 PM


Let’s face it, the Book of Ecclesiastes is a strange book, or better put, just not your typical book found in the Bible. There truly doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to his writing at first glance, but when you look a bit deeper, you’ll begin to see two themes, or perspectives that jump out. The first being - life apart from God, and the second, of a life lived before Him. 
I tend to think Solomon’s purpose in writing Ecclesiastes was to force his readers to take a sober look at their own mortality, and thus decide how they’re to live in light of this brief existence and eternity.

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that [day of death] is the end of every man, and the living will take it to heart and solemnly ponder its meaning. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad (deep in thought) the heart may be happy [because it is growing in wisdom].” – Eccl 7:2-3 AMP

Solomon seems to me like a cynical old man as he writes, and one reading just these verses alone might think he didn’t believe in life after death, but if we move along just a bit further into the next chapter we’ll see that’s not so at all.

 Solomon also saw the “wicked” succeeding during his lifetime, and understood our flesh can be tempted at times to believe that life would be better apart from God, which is why in Ecclesiastes 8:12, Solomon warns us saying, “Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him.” We can see here, he is speaking about the eternal judgment.

He knew we have so much more to live for than the here and now. It was his mission to assure us that our lives on Earth are just a tiny blip on eternity’s timeline. When we look at our lives through that perspective, we realize that doing whatever it takes to get ahead in this life is just as Solomon described—meaningless.

It’s our relationship with Jesus that is far more valuable than any temporary treasure. 

Those of us who follow Jesus may not always be given immediate reward for following Him, nor will people receive immediate judgment for walking away from Him. BUT in spite of whatever hardship we may endure, one day, because of our relationship with Jesus, we will find it was worth it all! Every bit this life threw at us!

I wonder, has there ever been a time when you believed the lie that your life would be better without God in it? If so, you are not alone. Many are these days. The church is shrinking as more and more believe the lie that they will be far better off enjoying this life today and not worrying about the next.

We’ve all heard the quote, “And if there is no resurrection, "Let's eat and drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!" This was actually written by Paul in 1 Cor 15:32, but many think it was Solomon that coined that phase. What Solomon actually said was,

“Behold, here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun during the few days of his life which God gives him—for this is his [allotted] reward.  Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, He has also given the power and ability to enjoy them and to receive [this as] his [allotted] portion and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God [to him].” –Eccl 5:18-20 AMP
And
 “Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one as well as the other.” – Eccl 7:13-14a

I believe Solomon was trying to tell us that we should accept whatever God gives us and understand that God means it for our welfare! For He knows the plans He has for us! Plans to give us HOPE for our future! (Jeremiah 29:11) If it’s a tough battle you’re in just now, I hope you'll begin to cry out to God and others for help. 

Trouble starts when we find ourselves near-sided and only able to see what’s in front of us at the moment and fail to gain the “big picture” or better yet, an eternal (God's) perspective. 

 If you’re struggling at the moment to gain God’s perspective in all you’re dealing with, please share and let us encourage you and pray for you. Please don’t ever give up on God without speaking to other followers first!
I can promise you-- He will never ever give up on you!

Blessings!

sue

Boredom

The Humdrum of Life {Ecclesiastes 1:1:2:26}

12:00 AM


Imagine being the greatest and richest king of all time. Everything you wanted to see, do, or own was yours for the taking. This was the life of Solomon. He had the world at his feet. He experienced everything life had to offer and denied himself nothing, “All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure” (vs. 2:10) 

Yet even with all of that, Solomon grew bored with the humdrum of life. He found nothing new to see, nothing knew to do, nothing worthwhile at all. Over twenty times in the book of Ecclesiastes the Preacher, traditionally known as Solomon, laments about his boredom with life on earth. “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been is that which is done. So there is nothing  new under the sun.”(vs. 1:9) Disillusioned, Solomon learned that no how many times humanity tries to “reinvent the wheel”, it’s all been done before.

“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (1:2) After taking a hard look at life, including his own, the Preacher declares it to be vanity; meaningless, futile, and nothing more than a puff of smoke. To hear a man so great and blessed by God as Solomon despairing over the futility of life isn’t exactly an uplifting message to read. If a powerful king who has access to every desire finds life pointless and boring, what help is there for the rest of us?

The truth of the matter is Solomon’s lack of luster for life came as a result of his lack of luster for God. Instead of turning to the Lord to heal the emptiness in his heart, he tried to fill it with the trappings of the world. But far from making him happy Solomon found the more of the world he had, the emptier he felt. Even his many accomplishments couldn’t give him the satisfaction he yearned for. “I considered all my activities which my hands had done, and the labor which I had exerted and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” (vs. 2:11) 

We were created for fellowship with the Lord, to have a close and personal relationship with Him. And nothing this world could ever offer, not power, wealth, nor fame, can fill the place reserved for God alone It is only through Him will we find meaning and happiness. Not even the simplest things in life bring enjoyment separate from our Father. “For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” (vs. 2:25)

If we aren’t walking with Him, life becomes nothing more than a rat race. A boring cycle of wash, rinse, and repeat. Like Solomon we’ll find ourselves in the doldrums; stagnant and depressed, just going through the motions. We too will try to fill the emptiness with worldly things that at best can only offer temporary satisfaction.

God never intends our life with Him to be a dull one. He wants to do wonderful and meaningful things through us and for us. Looking for excitement? Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (John 14:12) How about that?! Each day brings with it a new and exciting opportunity to not only carry on the work of Jesus, but through the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish even greater things. And I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound too boring to me!


Ecclesiastes

Scripture Saturday~God's Work

12:00 AM

Saturday, June 23, 2018


Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

This coming week's memory verses are Ecclesiastes 3:11...

 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. (NLT)

 Have a blessed and precious day and week everyone!