When we read a sign, “Wet paint! Do not touch!” we often desire to touch it anyway. Our human nature hates being limited. Transition In Ecclesiastes 3, we are going to see that God limits man in at least three areas to get us to see our need for Him. God Limits our Control of […]
Have you ever thought, “If I just had more ___ that would really satisfy me.” It may be more money, more friends, more popularity, more clothes, more pleasures or anything else you desire. The reality is that having more only leads to wanting more. It does not satisfy the soul. Solomon learned this lesson by […]
King Jehoshaphat received news that a huge army was preparing to attack Jerusalem (2Ch 20:1-2). When he received the news, he did three things to prepare. As we face the coming coronavirus, we would be wise to do just what Jehoshaphat did when facing an enemy far too strong for him (2Ch 20:1-30) Transition I […]
Last week, we learned that Solomon probably wrote the book of Ecclesiastes to a young philosopher. In it, he gives frustrating examples of how life under the sun (earthly life) does not make sense. It is vanity or empty. These frustrating examples or disturbing reflections act as goads that poke us to get us to […]
Years ago, when we were missionaries in PNG, a co-worker and I visited a remote village called Simbai. We first flew an hour to a bush airstrip and then hiked over many mountains for nearly 8 hours. We hiked up winding mountain trails, crossed streams, descended into valleys and back up steep mountainsides. It was […]
The Psalmist referred to Jehovah God as his Shepherd. (Psalms 23:1) “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The Prophet Isaiah continued that analogy, (Isaiah 40:11) “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those […]
A lifeguard had vital duties to perform to save a drowning person’s life. Their life depends on his performance. As Christians, God gives us some vital duties to perform in order to please Him. Transition The verse before us this morning identifies three vital duties that we must perform. The first vital duty that we […]
An old proverb states, “You cannot have your cake and eat it too.” In other words if you keep your cake, you cannot eat it. However, if you eat it you cannot keep it. You must make a choice. In our text today, God challenges people to take their stand and make their choice about […]
Faith is acting upon trusted information. On more than one occasion, Jesus rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith. I can relate to that. Perhaps you can too. Our faith often needs fortifying. Transition The apostle gives us three challenges that, if obeyed, ought to help fortify our faith. The first challenge that ought […]
Do you have enough money? G.K. Chesterton once said, “There are two ways to get enough: One is to accumulate more and more, the other is to desire less.” Think about that! Read Hebrews 13:5-6. As I examined this text, I found it interesting that God did not use the regular word for covetousness, which […]