Chapter is describing how living according to the world’s wisdom has led to great conflict among James’s Christian readers. They were fighting with each other because they couldn’t get what they wanted. James says that living that way is adultery. It’s ”cheating” on God. Do not speak against one another, brethren He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. Specifically, James’ use of the word “neighbor” (4:12) probably shows that he has in mind the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. Judging your neighbor (in the sense that I have explained) is not to love him. It is rather to set yourself up in a position that belongs to God alone. The entire passage leading up to this verse has been about the difference between earthly, worldly wisdom, and heavenly, godly wisdom. Most recently, James has pointed out that speaking about human plans without acknowledging the influence of God is evil. A Christian is to live a life of complete trust in God. God should be the friend you wake up to in the morning. He is your first neighbor, first love and He loved us first. So God should always be first. If it wasn’t for God, I would not of woke up this morning to do this video. Amen! {Let’s read James 4:1-17} From whence come wars and fighting’s among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss ” means not quite right; inappropriate or out of place.”, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resists the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judges his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judges another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeared for a little time, and then vanished away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
{Let’s Pray} Father God, I can honestly say that my heart bleeds and cries for others when they are hurting and there is nothing I can do. Pretty much how You feel when we mess up or ignore You like You aren’t even here. Judging You wrongfully. I know how that feels when others judge me for something I didn’t even do and all I did was try to be a light. I am sorry for all the wrongs in my life when I ignored You and went my own way. Help me to stay humble before You and draw me away from worldly stinking thinking. I know worldly thinking grieves the Holy Spirit. I am totally believing to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness and to be careful of needs of my brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe I may think of others before myself and ask that I may truly die to my own desires and any judgmental thought that enters my mind erase it! Jehovah Rapha thank You for Your continued healing, strength and blessings in others’ lives and my own. Let Your will be done. I love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen. {Power Verse} “The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. “Proverbs 11:6
I took a piece of plastic clay And idly fashioned it. one day. And as my fingers pressed it, still, It moved and yielded to my will.
I came again, when days were passed, That bit of clay, was hard at last, The form I gave it, still it bore. And I could change that form no more.
Then I took a piece of Living clay, And gently formed it, day by day. And molded with my power and art, A young child’s soft and yielding heart.
I came again when years were gone, It was a man I looked upon. He still that early impress bore, And I could change it never more. (Author Unknown)
One of the most powerful analogies in the Bible regarding our transformation and sanctification in the Lord has to be the analogy of the potter and the clay. The Bible says that God is the Potter and we are the clay. It is up to God to mold, transform, and sanctify us as we journey through this earthly life.
“The Sculptor” One of the most powerful analogies in the Bible regarding our transformation and sanctification in the Lord has to be the analogy of the potter and the clay. The Bible says that God is the Potter and we are the clay. It is up to God to mold, transform, and sanctify us as we journey through this earthly life. Isaiah 64:8 it reads: But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand. Romans 9:20-21 it reads: But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? Jeremiah 18:2-6 it reads: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. {Let’s Pray} Father God, I thank You and praise You for sending Jesus in Your image so we could learn to walk right with You. I come to You in humility of heart and ask that You make and mould me into a vessel that is pleasing to You. Let me be a light that no one can contain through Your glory and honor. I love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’? Isaiah 45:9
{In 1 John 4:16 it reads: And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.} I this verse John wants us to understand how much God loves us and to believe how special we are to God, our faith in how much He loves us. The fact that God is love is repeated from verse 8 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” To emphasize how complete God’s love is toward us. The verse ends with the fruit of this kind of love and unity. Abiding in God and His Love . The spirit of truth and protection against the spirit of error. The fact of false prophets and the need to test the spirits. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. In other words, love for God and others is the way to remain growing in the Lord. And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. John includes both himself and his readers as believers in the beginning of this verse. His words clearly state that both knowing and believing are important. In many modern churches, believing has been emphasized apart from knowing God. This can lead to people who accept Jesus yet do not live for Him. These people may be “born of God,” but they show no signs of “abiding” in Him. Both “to know and to believe” are essential in the life of a Christian believer. We must believe in who Christ really is, for salvation. We must “know” Him through obedience, worship and uniting with believers, to be accepted in our actions, and to be blessed by Him.
{Let’s Pray} Father God, I praise You and thank You for Your heart of love and compassion that is open towards me and others. I thank You and praise You for the many ways that You shower Your love into my life. I am believing to be ever mindful of Your never-failing love and ever-abiding: presence in my heart. Use me I pray, to stream Your gracious love through my life and out to the weary and thirsty souls that You place in my path. Let me be Your light this day and every day. I love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” 1 peter 4:8
{Let’s Pray} Father God, I thank You and praise You that You forfill Your purpose in all lives to bring us back to You. I thank You and praise You that You know the end from the beginning and that everything under heaven is within Your authority. I thank You, that You are in control of all that is happening in my own individual life and the whole world in general. Let my heart, mind, body and soul keep trusting You through all the circumstances of life and as I seek Your face in prayer, praise and worship. I am believing to learn more and more to pray and walk with You every moment knowing You are right here with me always. I am believing if there is someone out there in this world who don’t know You. They would open their heart and mind to Your truth and seek Your face. I am believing thy will be done in my life and throughout the world.” . I love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalms 1:1
This is a beautiful statement about what Paul saw as his purpose in life. He planted the church in Corinth and led many of them to faith in Christ. Many volunteered, gave of their time, talents and treasures in their true belief. As a result, Paul thought of himself as a “spiritual father” to them. He wrote that he would not take money from them for his personal needs because parents ought to provide for their Small Children, not the other way around. Paul would gladly “spend and be spent for [their] souls.” Paul saw his life as a resource belonging to God, available to be used up or distributed in order to save and nourish the souls of others. It was more than a mission, though. Paul gladly did so because he loved the Corinthians. He had genuine affection for them. In this verse it reads: “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
(2 Corinthians 12:15)
It reads in 2 Corinthians 11:21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit in whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
It reads in 2 Corinthians 1:21-23: Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
In this passage “2 Corinthians 11:21” of scripture, Paul announced earlier in this section that he would “boast” as his opponents, the false apostles in Corinth, would brag to glorify themselves. Paul’s “boasting,” though, has consisted only of listing ways in which he has suffered in his mission to bring the gospel to people around the world. His intent is to sarcastically mock the false apostles and even then his words are not self-promoting. Since Corinthian culture valued strength and success above all, Paul’s boasting likely came across as very strange or as a mockery of true boasting. Paul clarifies what he has been doing. If he is going to boast, Paul writes, he will boast only of things that show how weak he really is. This may have been the exact opposite of what the Corinthian believers were hoping to hear. They want an apostle who, like the lying teachers living near them, appears strong and capable and confident in himself. Instead, Paul is describing all the ways he is weak. This is meant to show how strong God is through him. In the Corinthian terms, suffering for any reason was a sign of weakness. In Christian terms, suffering is one of the ways believers identify with Christ and learn to grow in their dependence on him. Their testimonies help them to overcome and also show God’s favor and light in their lives to others finding their way in Christ. It reads in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10: For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Good way to really know “I besought the Lord” That is, Christ, as the next verse absolutely proves, and the Socinians ( a supporter of the beliefs of Faustus and Laelius Socinus, who rejected such traditional Christian doctrines as the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, and original sin, and held that those who follow Christ’s virtues will be granted salvation.) themselves confess. If Christ be an object of prayer in such a case as this, or indeed in any case, it is a sure proof of his divinity; for only an omniscient Being can be made an object of prayer. An to Jesus Christ we overcome and believe for others a plea to God not only for protection from one’s enemies, but also from temptation to sin. To see what awesome work does in a believers life is awesome. Just saying. {Let’s Pray} Father God, I thank You and praise You for Your great goodness, and I thank You and praise You that Your grace is sufficient to bring me through whatever difficulties, dangers, persecution, or pain that I may suffer. I thank You for all Your healing and encouragement through the years through others prayers and my own. That You are with us always keeps me confident and bold. Let’s others who are hurting today feel Your presence in their heart and soul and bless them. I thank You and praise You for the wonderful testimony and teachings of Paul and the truths that have become mine, by faith in Christ. I am believing to finish the course You have prepared for me to do, and help me to be ready and willing to participate in the suffering of Christ as I pray and believe the best Holy outcome for others as they overcome and believe in You also. I love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge, do not give me over to death. Psalm 141:8
We notice the first people to receive the announcement of Jesus’ birth, a group of shepherds tending their flocks at night in the fields not too far from Bethlehem. This is the third time in the opening chapters of Luke that we encounter the angel of the Lord. The Shepherds Visited Jesus According to Luke 2:8-20, on the night of Jesus’ birth there were humble shepherds watching their sheep in the fields nearby Bethlehem. A host of angels suddenly appeared to these shepherds and told them of the Messiah’s birth. The central portion of this passage is, of course, the angels’ message and song, the former of which proclaims the transcendent fact of the Incarnation, and the latter hymns its blessed results. But, subsidiary to these, the silent vision which preceded them and the visit to Bethlehem which followed are to be noted. No good business person leaves 99% of her or his inventory at risk to recover 1%. Thus the shepherds in Luke 2 should also be seen as foolishly leaving their post to follow this sign. The Nativity, the Incarnation, invites, nay empowers us, to do foolish things that result in wondrous outcomes! “The Shepherds and Angels” Let’s read Luke 2:8-20: That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior, yes, the Messiah, the Lord, has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others, the armies of heaven, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. {Let’s Pray} Father God, I thank You and praise You that I have peace with God, and as Your born-again child, that I have received Your grace, not only now but eternal life. I thank You and praise You that because I am positioned in Christ and clothed in His righteousness, I am identified with Him, have found favor in Your sight, and the peace of God in my heart. I know that without Jesus there is nothing I could have done to warrant peace with You, for I acknowledge that I am a sinner, deserving of death. I thank You and praise You for Your forgiving heart and Your willingness to give second chances with no strings attached and freedom in Christ. Glory and honor to God in the highest, that peace has been granted to men with whom You are pleased. I thank You and praise Your holy name that both peace with God and the peace of God, is available to all who place their faith in Jesus. I love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
Isaiah, as a boys’ name is pronounced “eye-ZY-ah”. It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Isaiah is “God is salvation”. Biblical: one of the major prophets and writer of the Book of Isaiah. In addition to other passages in the Old Testament, this seems to refer to the first part of the oracle of Isaiah 7, for that is a promise of salvation for the nation from the prophet Isaiah. And the name Isaiah, is a close approximation of Jesus in Hebrew, for it means “Yahweh saves. Yahweh was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. His origins reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age. In the oldest biblical literature, he is a storm-and-warrior deity who leads the heavenly army against Israel’s enemies; at that time, the Israelites worshipped him. English editions of the Bible usually translate Adonay as “Lord” and Yahweh as “LORD.” Yahweh is the name that is most linked to God’s redeeming acts in the history of his chosen people. We know God because of what he has done. When you pray to Yahweh, remember that he is the same God who draws near to save you from the tyranny of sin just as he saved his people from tyrannical slavery in Egypt. Exodus 3:13-15 { And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, what is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. }is the first Biblical usage of the name “Yahweh,” and we can see at the end of the passage that it is the name by which God has chosen to be remembered throughout all generations. Both brethren and sistren was equivalent in the 12th and 15th century. Isaiah is often called ‘The Old Testament Gospel’, and for good reason. The New Testament contains approximately 85 direct quotes from or indirect allusions to this beautiful prophetic book. The name Yeshua means “Yah is my Salvation”; “Yah” is short for “Yahweh”. While “Yeshua” is the common spelling, to emphasize the meaning of the name some spell it Yahshua. The name “Yeshua” does have a meaning and it is much more in line with both New and Old Testament evidence that indicates that was the Messiah’s name. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Master Yeshua the Messiah, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. There is Power in His Name! We are sometimes asked why we often say Yahweh instead of “The LORD” and Yeshua instead of “Jesus”. Much of the reason is that we simply want others to know what God we serve. Most of the time, in the Bible, “God” is simply referred to as either “God” or “The Lord”. However, these are but a couple of His titles. They are not His name. In Most cases where the Bible says, “The Lord”, the original language says His name. A vast variety of reasons, false teachers, preachers, popes, and prophets have capitalized on this ambiguity and so we would like to help clear up the confusion. Names of God {You really want to see the names in different languages. You can translate each one of these in your foreign language} Some get confused when they hear God’s name in a different language. This is so interesting. I have done it for fun. Just translate other languages. When one of my friends on Facebook use their language. I just go to Google translator and translate. Then I can also respond to them in their language. It is interesting if you take this time to get to know others. Amen! Abba: Father Alpha and Omega: The Beginning and End Attiyq Youm: The Ancient of Days Christos: The Anointed One El Chuwl: The God Who Gave You Birth El Deah: The God of Knowledge El Elyon: The God Most High El Olam: The Everlasting God El Roi: The God Who Sees El Shaddai: God Almighty Elohim: The Creator Jehovah (Yahweh): The Self-Existent One Jehovah-Bore: The LORD Creator Jehovah-Jireh: The LORD Our Provider Jehovah-Nissi: The LORD Our Banner Jehovah-Rapha: The LORD Our Healer Jehovah-Rohi: The LORD Our Shepherd Jehovah-Sabbaoth: The LORD of Hosts Jehovah-Shalom: The LORD is Peace Jehovah-Shammah: The LORD is There Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The LORD Our Righteousness
1 Corinthians 8:5-6 it reads: For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. Isaiah Chapter 7. This expression, house of David, refers to the Davidic dynasty, personified in the current king, Ahaz. It was told to the descendent of David that these two evil groups, Israel, and Syria, had made an agreement to overthrow the king of Judah and rule in Jerusalem their selves.
Isaiah Chapter 7:1-25 And it happened in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field; And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king during it, even the son of Tabeal: Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it happened. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. Moreover, the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes. In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep; And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land. And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns. With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns. And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle. {Let’s Pray} Father God, I thank You and praise You for all that You are teaching me from the epistles of Paul and the many lessons I can learn from my Christian brothers and sisters in those early days of the church. I never want to become an obstacle in the lives of my brothers and sisters in Christ or place an obstacle in their path because of the freedom I have found in You. I thank You and praise You that there is nothing in heaven or earth that can separate us from Your love in Jesus. I thank You and praise You for the truths that are contained in Your holy Word. I thank You and praise You that by Your grace You sent Your Son to be born of a virgin and become the full and final atonement for our sin. I thank You that Jesus walked the earth as a Man in Your image and understands the limitations of our humanity. I thank You and praise You that You are for the sinner repenting and Jesus, He helps us in our trials and temptations as we walk with Jesus to eternity and praise Your Name that He is coming back one day, to finalize His authority over sin, the world and Satan. I thank You, praise You and give You all the glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} “But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.” (1 Corinthians 8:12)
Chapter 4 deals with the inequalities of life and Solomon express regret about the terrible acts of oppression, the shocking discrimination, and the lust to control the minds of others, by certain individuals that characterized the days of Solomon and is so prevalent today. Chapter 4. The advantages of mutual assistance. the changes of royalty. Verses 1-3: It grieved Solomon to see might prevail against right. Wherever we turn, we see melancholy proofs of the wickedness and misery of mankind, who try to create trouble to themselves and to each other. Miseries from oppression. troubles from envy. The folly of covetousness. (7,8) The Preacher wants to talk to us about the following subjects: oppression, work, companionship, wisdom, God, riches, and enjoying life. And really, what more is there to life? Let’s read Ecclesiastes chapter 4:1-16: So, I returned and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yes better is he then they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbor. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. The fool folded his hands together and eats his own flesh. Better is a handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second; yes, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labor; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, for whom do I labor, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yes, it is a sore travail. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevails against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. For out of prison, he cometh to reign, whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit. {Let’s Pray} Father God, I believe that I would always invite You into every relationship in my life and seek Your guidance in every decision that I make. Let me remain from being enticed into worldly ways or seeking after the empty values life has to offer. I thank You and praise You for the Word of truth and the wisdom it contains. Let me learn the lessons that life teaches as I keep my eyes looking to You and my ears open to Your direction and correction Lord Jesus. I believe I will stand firm, stay true, resist the enemy, maintain the unity of the spirit in a bond of faith and peace. Do not let me fall prey to an alternative philosophy or unwholesome mindset. I thank You and praise You for simple truth. I love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. Proverbs 14:18
Ecclesiastes 3 – The Reign of Time, A Glimmer of Hope A. God and time. 1. (1-8) A time for every purpose. To everything there is a season.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 reads: Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you. Daniel 2:21 reads: He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. Jeremiah 8:7: reads: Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the LORD. Ephesians 3 is the third chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle. Seasons are created by two very important events – the rotation of the Earth that gives us day and night, and the rotation of the Earth around the sun that gives us our year. The sun never changes, only the movement of the Earth creates changes in light and darkness, and in temperature. {Let’s Pray} Father God, I am share Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and I am believing for this chapter to touch someone’s heart today and bless them always in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 3:1-22: To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he labored? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also, he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And, that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God. I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath is now; and that which is to be hath already been and God requires that which is past. And moreover, I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befall the sons of men befall beasts; even one thing befalls them: as the one die so dies the other; yes, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows the spirit of man that goes upward, and the spirit of the beast that goes downward to the earth? Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? {Let’s Pray} Father God, I thank You and praise You that You know everything. Thank You for Your beatitudes. Everything that goes on. You know the end from the beginning and that everything under heaven is within Your authority. I thank You and praise You, that You are in control of all that is happening in my own individual life, others’ lives and around the world. There is nothing that leaves Your sight or hearing. I believe and I trust You through all the circumstances of this. If I should fail to poke me to remind me of Your goodness and past blessings. I thank You and praise You for the blessings You bestow on us daily in this life and as I seek Your face in prayer and praise. I believe I will learn increasingly to pray Your way. “Thy will be done in my life, also others’ lives and throughout the world. I thank You, praise You and give You all the glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. Acts 1:7
Futility bark at the moon To labor or protest in vain; to choose an ineffectual means to achieve a desired end, or to attempt the impossible, thereby making any effort futile by definition; also often bay at the moon. The phrase refers to the common practice of dogs to bay at the moon, as if to frighten or provoke it. The outcome of labor, In Ecclesiastes 2:18-26, the emphasis is on what happens to the fruits of labor that one accumulates over a lifetime of toil. These fruits include: money and all it can buy, fame, and happiness. What we are looking for, in other words, is the secret to contentment. That is the greatest blessing in life. That too is what King Solomon was looking for, and in the book of Ecclesiastes he describes his search. Back in Chapter 1 of the book we were introduced to Solomon and learned of his qualifications for this search. Be the end of the wise and the fool. Our hearts are very unwilling to quit their expectations of great things from the creature; but Solomon came to this in detail. The world is a vale of tears, even to those that have much of it. See what fools they are, who make themselves work their fingers to the bone to this world, which affords a man nothing better than room and board for the body. The greatest he can attain in this respect is to allow himself a sober, cheerful use thereof, according to his possession and condition. We must enjoy good in our labor; we must use those things to make us hard-working and cheerful in worldly business. This is the gift of God. Riches are a blessing or a curse to a man or woman, according as he or she has, or has not, a heart to make a good use of them. To those that are accepted of the Lord, he gives joy and satisfaction in the knowledge and love of him. The sinner he distributes labor, sorrow, vanity, and vexation, in seeking a worldly portion, which yet afterwards comes into better hands. Let the sinner seriously consider his final end. To seek a lasting portion in the love of Jesus Christ and the blessings it bestows, is the only way to true and satisfying enjoyment even of this present world.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 2:18-26 Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knows whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labor which I took under the sun. For there is a man whose labor is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. For what hath man of all his labor, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath labored under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity. There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
{Lets Pray} Father God, I am Your child and I know that my strength, power, comfort and guidance is in You. I know no weapon formed against me shall prosper and that You will never leave me nor forsake me, no matter what happens in this world. Keep me I believe from anxious thoughts, and prevent my heart from fearing what is going on the world, knowing that my citizenship is in heaven with You, and knowing that the day is fast approaching when You will come to take us to be with Yourself in our heavenly home. This shell called a body will disappear and we all will be where You are forever. I am believing for those who don’t know You that You will guide them to Yourself through Your encouragement and light. I thank You, love You, praise You and give You all the glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
{Power Verse} I can never be lost to Your Spirit! I can never get away from God!
"Only Life Changes" 