What Ecclesiastes Says

Ecclesiastes 1:2-5
What is the main message of Ecclesiastes? I read the book a couple of times and always feel a sense of peace and godly perspective afterwards. 

According to BibleGateway.com, Ecclesiastes shows us in stunning ways that the key to life is not in life itself. Pleasure, materialism, wisdom, and money are all futile and folly. True happiness comes from centering our lives on God, not ourselves. In chapter one verses 1-5 below, King David's son explores the true meaning of life and looks over his life for lasting value. He then concludes, that everything is meaningless. Ecclesiastes is a book about wisdom and to have wisdom, one must have an understanding about the cycle of life as we know it and experience it. 

Everything Is Meaningless

Eccl. 1:1-5

These are the words of the Teacher, King David's son who ruled in Jerusalem. "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. The sun rises then the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 

The fact that all is vanity should drive us closer to God and his plan for our lives. Honestly, what Ecclesiastes says is true. We already know everything we work hard for on earth has no place in heaven, only our eternal perspective is what lasts forever.

 

The Power of Yet

 The Power of Yet

By Brent Rinehart

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength” - Habakkuk 3:17-19b)

I decided to share this article by Brent Rinehart because it is very relevant. After you read it, you will see what I mean.

Have you experienced times in your life where you can’t feel God’s presence? When the worst happens in our lives, while we do our best to cling to our faith, it’s easy to question God. Where is He when a loved one dies far too young? Where is God in divorce, disease and death? Where is He when war rages? These are age-old questions humans have struggled with for centuries, and questions we can easily ask today. It seems as if the world is on the brink of disaster, so we are left searching for God through all of it.

Habakkuk wrote his prophecy at time when he and God’s people were asking the same questions. The Babylonians were preparing to invade Judah where the remnant of God’s people remained. This was a direct judgment from the Lord, for they had experienced rapid moral and spiritually decline. Habakkuk complains against God, not understanding how he could use a downright wicked nation in Babylon to judge a less wicked one in Judah. But, we know that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

The book of Habakkuk can easily be an unnoticed little book of the 12 minor prophets of the Bible. Habakkuk like many of us, wants God to show up and deal with the human evil they are experiencing. God reminds Habakkuk that He will deal with evil in every generation and God will deal with evil in our generation today.  Although it seems that evildoers are getting away with what they are doing, God says they are not. "Yet, I will trust Him." There is this word, "Yet" meaning, "Nevertheless" I see the evil and darkness all around me, I will trust my God to deal with it. I will trust Him to protect me.

It may look like the fig tree is not blooming and many other disappointments are present, "yet, I will rejoice and trust in the Lord." There is power in the word,"yet."

                                      

     https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-daily-bible-verse/your-daily-bible-verse-may-29.html

This is the Day!

This is the Day!

"This is the day which the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it," Psalms 118:24.

Today, I am beyond happy to be alive and healthy.  Actually, I am exceedingly glad about it. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful that I get to see the beauty in another day, and I am thankful that I "choose" to focus on my blessings today and not on my problems.

I am glad that the Lord gives me choices for each day that He blesses me with. I can freely choose to embrace my day with a positive attitude or I can do the opposite. I choose to smile today and to love today and I choose joy with gladness today. 

After all, God has made this day and allowed me to see it. I am going to rejoice in this day and live this day in contentment with myself, my flaws and all. And I am going to be exceedingly glad in today- I can not worry about tomorrow; it is not here yet.

Affirmations to Start Your Day!

Affirmations to Start Your Day! 

Deuteronomy 14:2 tells me that I am treasured. This scriptures says,  "You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure." 

I am treasured. I am holy. I am chosen. I have been set apart. I am favored! I affirm myself in the Lord because I am Loved by God!

Crosswalk is one of my favorite publications. I find myself reading an article or two almost daily. Sometimes I just browse through the articles until I find something I need for the moment. I usually do this after I have read the Bible, or something I read in Crosswalk will lead me to God's word. Either way, there are many encouraging articles for Christians no matter what you need in your daily walk. 

 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/women/-biblical-affirmation-to-start-your-day.html 

I am Blessed!

Aways Have Hope!

Always Have Hope!

Psalms 39:7 says, “And now Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.”

What sticks out to me the most in this scripture is where it says, "My hope is in you."

The scripture reminds me of where my hope is not. It is not in myself, my husband, my family, my friends, or money. My hope is in the Lord- only! Everything else is sinking sand. Everything else can fall through and let me down. People and things can disappoint, deceive, and hurt me. Nothing or no one else can support me, or bless me like the Lord. My hope has to be in Him and Him alone. This is why I cling to this scripture. This is why I remind myself that I have one real solid option in my life who I can always depend on no matter what the circumstance is at any given moment in my life.

It is easy to run out of worldly options; when things happen- "What’s next, or now what?" These are the questions I used to ask myself. My questions to you are: Do you look to man for your answer, or do you take a hard look at yourself? Do you wait on outside help, or are you on your own? What do you wait for? Who do you wait for? Who do you lean on? 

Life can turn on you at any given moment. Life can drain you physically, emotionally, financially, and even spiritually. Life can literally make you or break you. When life presses hard on you and causes you to question yourself and your life, I say turn to the Lord. You must realize there is always room in your life for hope. Scripture says in Psalms 46:1 that God is an ever present help in times of trouble. 

Billy Graham Library has more encouragement to say about this topic. Click the link below.

https://billygrahamlibrary.org/blog-5-things-the-bible-says-about-hope/#:~:text=Hope%20is%20Never%20Lost&text=But%2C%20the%20Bible%20says%20that,It's%20just%20that%20simple!

A glimmer of hope is all the strength you need to pick yourself up and put one foot in front of the other. Hope is God’s Grace! Hope is God’s Love! Hope is God’s Peace! Our hope lies strictly in the Lord. There is no one else who can give us hope like He can. Only God can give us the hope, faith, and  energy we need to turn the course of our life around. Join me in saying and believing this, "My hope is and will forever be in the Lord!"