As the old adage goes, you save the best for last.
This is why at a concert the biggest hit is the song that closes the show and dessert is saved for the end of a meal. The same is true in Ecclesiastes. The entire book has thus far explored the meaning of our fleeting life, and now gives us the bottom line for how to keep life aligned with God’s will.
Being young is like living in spring. Everything is alive and vibrant. Being old is like living in winter. Things grow dark and dim, and death is foreboding and on its way one day.
Even the godliest people need to occasionally pull over, ask some diagnostic questions, and make adjustments. In this section of Ecclesiastes we are going to pull over for a soul pit stop and have Solomon run diagnostics on our soul with nine questions to get us healed up, tuned up, and back to enjoying life with God.
Conflict happens. Whether it’s physical or digital, conflict invites others to join in on the riot, and according to Pastor James, this is just part of being sinners in a fallen world. But, he says, conflict need not be worldly—we can engage in a kind that’s godly.
Conflict happens. Whether it’s physical or digital, conflict invites others to join in on the riot, and according to Pastor James, this is just part of being sinners in a fallen world. But, he says, conflict need not be worldly—we can engage in a kind that’s godly.
Once a fire gets going, it’s hard to stop. James says our tongue is a spark that can unleash hell. Though you may not intend to, you can boil your Christian brother or sister alive with your words.
Once a fire gets going, it’s hard to stop. James says our tongue is a spark that can unleash hell. Though you may not intend to, you can boil your Christian brother or sister alive with your words.
Christianity is the Christian following in the footsteps of Christ: knowing the word of God and doing it. It’s not that knowing the word is bad and doing the word of God is good; rather, knowing the word without doing the word is bad, and so is doing the word without knowing it. Like pedals on a bike, they require the other in order to work.
Christianity is the Christian following in the footsteps of Christ: knowing the word of God and doing it. It’s not that knowing the word is bad and doing the word of God is good; rather, knowing the word without doing the word is bad, and so is doing the word without knowing it. Like pedals on a bike, they require the other in order to work.
Every time God provides an opportunity, Satan brings opposition. This is why, for those who follow Jesus, things are bound to get harder, not easier. But by the grace of God, you can fight, persevere, and emerge victorious because, as the Bible says, no temptation will come to you that you can’t beat.
Every time God provides an opportunity, Satan brings opposition. This is why, for those who follow Jesus, things are bound to get harder, not easier. But by the grace of God, you can fight, persevere, and emerge victorious because, as the Bible says, no temptation will come to you that you can’t beat.
Believers often tell unbelievers, “Give your life to Jesus. Go to heaven.” They often leave out the middle, the hard part called “life.” But James is more forthright, saying it’ll get harder before it gets easier, and sometimes the closer you are to Jesus, the more difficult it’ll be.