He Speaks to Me

Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 NASB  4 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God. Oftentimes, I've heard people beg God for a favor or wish, "God, if you grant me this one thing, I'll go to church every   Sunday for the rest of my life ."  Some even feel the need to demand ultimatums, " God, if you save her, I'll know you really do exist." The first statement, is downright silly (can you picture God rolling His eyes). You have no way of knowing from week to week what life will bring. Therefore, that statement is invalid. The second stateme...

Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 NASB 13 A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. 14 For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him. 16 There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind. No matter what we have, we are never content. Even the Christmas gifts we've just received, won't make us happy for long. Think of the child who received a certain toy after begging for months, only to end up playing make believe with the box Christmas afternoon. Or, those who feel the need to upgrade an expensive cell phone because the latest and greatest version has just been released. Most of our discontentment occurs because we listen to others. Friends brag about...

Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 7 I observed yet another example of meaninglessness in our world. 8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, "Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?" It is all so meaningless and depressing. 9 Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. 11 And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. We depend too much on self. We believe we're the only one who can do a certain job and then we refuse to ask for help....

Ecclesiastes 4: 1-6 Again I observed all the oppression that takes place in our world. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and the victims are helpless. 2 So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. 3 And most fortunate of all are those who were never born. For they have never seen all the evil that is done in our world. 4 Then I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind. 5 Foolish people refuse to work and almost starve. 6 They feel it is better to be lazy and barely survive than to work hard, especially when in the long run everything is so futile. Boy, things are still the same. Even in Solomon's time the people were trying to get rich quick, and expend as litt effort as possible. Just goes to show that nothing ever changes. We always seem to want what we can't have. The brass ring is always just our...

Eccelisates 2:12-15 12 So I decided to compare wisdom and folly, and anyone else would come to the same conclusions I did. 13 Wisdom is of more value than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 For the wise person sees, while the fool is blind. Yet I saw that wise and foolish people share the same fate. 15 Both of them die. Just as the fool will die, so will I. So of what value is all my wisdom? Then I said to myself, "This is all so meaningless!" 16 For the wise person and the fool both die, and in the days to come, both will be forgotten. Getting this look inside Solomon's mind is so refreshing. Even with all the despair, I feel great affirmation. The problems and concerns I have in this world, are the same feelings the wisest man felt. One things that stands out to me, the observation that wisdom is worth it. Although the wise and foolish "share the same fate." It's better to be wise. Therefore, it's better to have knowledge than ...

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 I said to myself, "Come now, let's give pleasure a try. Let's look for the `good things' in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 "It is silly to be laughing all the time," I said. "What good does it do to seek only pleasure?" 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. While still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I hoped to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. 4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned great herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of sil...

Ecclesiastes 1:12-19 12 I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done in the world. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 Everything under the sun is meaningless, like chasing the wind. 15 What is wrong cannot be righted. What is missing cannot be recovered. 16 I said to myself, "Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them." 17 So I worked hard to distinguish wisdom from foolishness. But now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind. 18 For the greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. I so know how Solomon feels. There are so many times that I feel like I'm doing nothing more than 'chasing the wind.' I run in circles to find myself back where I started with nothing to show fo...

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 (NLT) These are the words of the Teacher, King David's son, who ruled in Jerusalem. Everything Is Meaningless 2 "Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher (or modern man) , "utterly meaningless!" 3 What do people get for all their hard work? 4 Generations come and go, but nothing really changes. 5 The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere. 7 The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea. 8 Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn't already exist long ago? 11 We don't remember what happene...