TODAY'S QUOTE

"Self-control produces a strong prayer life,

prayer produces an intimate relationship

with God, and intimacy produces love of

God."    

-Francis Chan

FUTILITY OF PLEASURE AND POSSESSIONS

I have been considering the thinking of the 

wisest man that ever lived, king Solomon, in

his writings in the book of Ecclesiastes.

In chapter two he decides to test pleasure and 

possessions and their value in life.  With 

pleasure he ends up saying; "What does it 

accomplish?"

Then he turns to possessions.

Solomon built for himself houses, vineyards,

gardens, ponds and collected silver and gold.

Then he said;

"Thus 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." (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NASB)

We can see the proof of this same thing in 

our own day.  Over the years I have been

amazed at how many wealthy famous people

end up killing themselves.  Were was the 

happiness that was supposed to be there?

Hey guys, catch this one.

"I provided for myself male and female

singers and the pleasures of men - many

concubines." (2:11)

What were many concubines to Solomon?

"He had seven hundred wives, princesses, 

and three hundred concubines, and his

wives turned his heart away."

(1 Kings 11:4 NASB)

That is one thousand women for just one 

man.  A whole town of women for him to

take his pick of.  

But they turned his heart away from God

to his own hurt.

No wonder Solomon was able to say;  

"It is better to live in a desert land

Than with a contentious and vexing

woman." (Proverbs 21:19 NASB)

and;

"It is better to live in a corner of the roof

Than in a house shared with a contentious

woman." (Proverbs 25:24 NASB) 

I do not know about you,

but I think I can learn something from this.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

I am not smart by any means.  In fact I feel

embarrassed around truly smart intelligent

people.  But at times like that I try to keep

my mouth shut.  Why expose my ignorance

to them?

Consequently I want to spend some time 

trying to understand the writings of someone

who was truly smart - Solomon.  Maybe I 

can learn a little from him.

God gave Solomon more wisdom than any

person that ever lived, or will live.

[I know.  You and I both have friends and

neighbors who think they are the "SMARTEST"

thing that ever lived.]

So that puts me into what we call the book of

Ecclesiastes.

  

""Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher,

"completely meaningless!"

What do people get for all their hard work

under the sun?  Generations come and 

generations go, but the earth never changes."

"History merely repeats itself.  It has all been

done before."

(Ecclesiastes 1:1-4 and 9 NLT)

I am looking at it from a different vantage point

than you are.  I am old.  Really really old.  And

after looking back over a life of hard work I have

to agree with Solomon - what's the point?

Some day I will die and all that effort will

be lost, gone forever - that is in this material

world if that is all I have worked for.

But there is a realm that will last forever,

the Spiritual realm.  If I shift my focus from

the things of this material world to the world

or realm of the Spirit - everything changes.

Solomon comes to the conclusion at the end

of his book which we will probably look at
a number of times:

"That's the whole story.  Here now is my final

conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands,

for this is everyone's duty.  God will judge us

for everything we do, including every secret

thing, whether good or bad."

(Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 NLT)

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope

for will actually happen; it gives us 

assurance about things we cannot see.  

Through their faith, the people in days

of old earned a good reputation."

(Hebrews 11:1 NLT)

TODAY'S QUOTE

"if the Lord is going to use someone for His

purposes.  He often has to strip away their

dependence on intelligence, education, abilities

and their strengths before He can truly use them.

He has to make them nothing before He can build

them back up again for His service."

K.P. Yohannan in

Living in the Light of Eternity

p.201

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Study this Book of Instruction continually.

Meditate on it day and night so you will be

sure to obey everything written in it.  Only

then will you prosper and succeed in all you 

do."

(Joshua 1:8 NLT)

TODAY'S QUOTE

"I seek the will of the Spirit of God through,

or in connection with, the Word of God.  The

Spirit and the Word must be combined.  If I 

look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I 

lay myself open to great delusions.  If the Holy

Spirit guides us, He will do it according to the

Scriptures and never contrary to them."

- George Mueller