Tag: devotional
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The End of the Matter
13The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.–Ecclesiastes 12, with emphasis Those of you who have been following the last two weeks, we have slogged through…
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Life and Judgment
8So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. 9Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your…
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Two Choices, One Perspective
12Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.–Ecclesiastes 8…
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Funeral Perspective
2It 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.3Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. 4The heart of the wise is in…
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Don’t Live for Your Appetite
7All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.–Ecclesiastes 6 I remember a time when my wife took me to a sushi buffet. It was expensive and so I ate until I was stuffed. I was so full that it hurt. I thought I even was going to get…
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Are You Teachable?
13Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.–Ecclesiastes 4 The biblical Solomon started off as a young man asking for wisdom and ended up with this description… King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.…
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The Justice Perspective
16Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.–Ecclesiastes 3 It’s easy to look…
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Never Denying the Heart or the Eyes
1I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold…
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Under the Sun
12I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and…
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Three Questions
1And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4For a…
Joel M Bradshaw 