Category Archives: relationship with God
the end of the matter
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 Wise words can fix us firmly in a secure position, and they can also motivate us to move in the right direction. But we should also heed the warning tacked on at the end of the book. Even … Continue reading
Posted in discipleship, knowledge, relationship with God, Solomon, wisdom
Tagged Ecclesiastes 12
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remember
Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8 Youth is called the days of light, and old age the days of darkness. The Preacher encourages his students to enjoy and take advantage of the days of light, but to remember that the days of darkness will … Continue reading
Posted in dependence upon God, mortality, relationship with God, resurrection, Solomon
Tagged Ecclesiastes 11, Ecclesiastes 12
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their gods shall perish
Jeremiah 9:23-10:25 Judah had many wise men, many strong men, and many rich men, but she did not have many men who knew the LORD. They had trusted in their wisdom, might and riches, and had not circumcised their hearts, … Continue reading
Posted in conditional immortality, destruction in hell, Jeremiah, relationship with God, trust
Tagged Jeremiah 10, Jeremiah 9
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band-aids on broken arms
Jeremiah 8:4-9:22 Even when the officials of the people understood that they were doomed and dying, they simply tried to calm everyone down with false assurances of peace. But Jeremiah knew that there was no peace. The people tried … Continue reading
Posted in discernment, Jeremiah, peace, relationship with God, repentance
Tagged Jeremiah 8, Jeremiah 9
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remember Shiloh
Jeremiah 7-8:3 Jeremiah is told to stand at the gate of the temple and warn the people that they are trusting in a place rather than the LORD himself. Even if it is – or was – the LORD’s chosen … Continue reading
Posted in church, discipleship, Jeremiah, relationship with God, worship
Tagged Jeremiah 7, Jeremiah 8
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not enough
Ecclesiastes 6 The grievous evil that the Preacher has discovered is mortality. Even a long and strong life is not enough. In the end, all of life’s good things must go to another, because all go to the same place … Continue reading
Posted in deliverance, dependence upon God, mortality, relationship with God, Solomon
Tagged Ecclesiastes 6
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given the business
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 The Preacher had discovered that he could waste his life accumulating things only to lose them all at the end. His experiment in seeking pleasure by means of pouring himself into productive work – had reached its result. … Continue reading
Posted in discernment, money, relationship with God, Solomon, wisdom
Tagged Ecclesiastes 2
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wise, crazy, or stupid?
Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 The Preacher’s second experiment was to focus on making himself a wiser man. He considered three options: being wise, being crazy, or being stupid. Part of learning wisdom is the acceptance that even it made no difference in … Continue reading
under his shadow
Hosea 14 I recently enjoyed a “glacier walk” in the South Island of New Zealand. I remember looking around at all the mountains on either side of the Franz-Josef glacier and thinking how peaceful it is. Being surrounded by such … Continue reading
first thing to go
Hosea 4-5 The sexual sins of male and female prostitution that Hosea describes here are listed because they are the results of the spiritual prostitution that Israel and Judah had committed. It is not so much that God is condemning … Continue reading
Devotions 