Posted on Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Enjoy Life With Your Wife, Whom You Love, All the Days of This Meaningless Life

Ecclesiastes 9

Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you. – Ecclesiastes 9:9

The memory of the dead is forgotten. – Ecclesiastes 9:5

The righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. – Ecclesiastes 9:1

The poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded. – Ecclesiastes 9:16

The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong. Time and chance happen to them all. – Ecclesiastes 9:11

As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison. – Oswald Chambers

Posted on Monday, January 18, 2021

Do Not Stand Up for a Bad Cause

Ecclesiastes 8

Obey the king’s command because you took an oath before God. – Ecclesiastes 8:2

Do not stand up for a bad cause. – Ecclesiastes 8:3

The wise heart will know the proper time to proceed. There is a proper time and procedure for every matter. – Ecclesiastes 8:5-6

Wickedness will not release those who practice it. – Ecclesiastes 8:8

When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. – Ecclesiastes 8:11

Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God. – Oswald Chambers

Posted on Sunday, January 17, 2021

Do Not Pay Attention to Every Word People Say

Ecclesiastes 7 - Wisdom

Do not pay attention to every word people say, for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. – Ecclesiastes 7:21

I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all. There is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. – Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:28, 23

The righteous man perishes in his righteousness. The wicked man lives long in his wickedness. Do not be holier-than-thou, neither be a know-it-all — why destroy yourself? Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. – Ecclesiastes 7:15-16, 18

God created mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes. – Ecclesiastes 7:29

The woman who is a snare. Heart is a trap. Her hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare. – Ecclesiastes 7:26

The day of death better than the day of birth, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. – Ecclesiastes 7:1-2

Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. – Ecclesiastes 7:3-4

The end is better than the beginning. Patience is better than pride. – Ecclesiastes 7:8

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions. – Ecclesiastes 7:10

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: no one can discover anything about their future. – Ecclesiastes 7:14

Wisdom is a shelter. Money is a shelter. Wisdom preserves those who have both. – Ecclesiastes 7:12

Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2017

The Spirit of the Lord Will Rest …

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him. He will have the Spirit of Wisdom, Discernment, Counsel, Power, Knowledge, and Fear of the Lord. He will delight in the Fear of the Lord. ~ Isaiah 11:2-3

My Father, may I have your Spirit of Wisdom, Discernment, Counsel, Power, Knowledge, and Fear of the Lord. May your Righteousness be my belt. May Faithfulness be the sash around my waist.

My Father will honor the one who serves me. John 12:26

Lord, I don’t seek honor, but I do seek work in your kingdom. Refresh my spirit, give me an advisory team and staff who understands your vision in this work. May your work and word prevail.

God foreknew … he predestined some to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. God then called and justified (marked for a good and legitimate reason). He glorified. Will God not also graciously give us all things? Romans 8:29 & 32

Lord, you called; I answered. Please give me the resources, help, and vision to do this work. Transform me into the image of your Son.

Teresa would love to feel better and not have to struggle to pay her electricity bill. She faces the choice of remaining cold or trying to scrape together enough money to keep the lights and heat on. She thanks you for all she has. I ask that you bless her with the funds necessary to stay warm – in your arms, but also in her home.

Father, Erin became extremely ill during the summer of 2015. Her body was damaged and still has not completely healed. Please heal and comfort Erin. You are in the restoration business. Please restore Erin.

Lord, Kathryn is bed bound, but you are with her. Please help Kathryn spend more time with you. Allow her world to expand in your presence.

Lord, please care for Annie’s old little dog, Jessi. Jessi is not doing to well. Annie doesn’t want Jessi to suffer. Please healAnnie’s dog or comfort her as she struggles with this tough decision. Lord, help Wendy’s neighbor, Iona, who had a stroke last weekend. She’s 49 and is the single mom of two special needs children (one new adult, one tween). Doctors say she has a 50/50 chance of surviving the stroke, and if she does, she will be paralyzed. She is comatose in the hospital and on life support. I know that Iona believes in you, but Wendy is unsure of her salvation. You are a BIG God. Wendy asks for a BIG miracle for Iona and her family!

Please care and comfort Ann, who is 82, and in the hospital with pneumonia.