Daily Gains 90

Being 1 degree off is the difference between landing on the moon, or floating off into space never to return. There are a lot of things which ought not to happen, and many of them are signified by only very small tells. It is then the work of wisdom to watch for those small errors which result in colossal terrors. 

Each of us will face, at least one time in our lives, the sensation of free fall. This experience, the point at which your feet have left the airplane, and the ground has not yet hit, but is getting closer and closer - that is free fall. It is those times in our lives that the Steadfast Love of the Lord becomes more than just a nice needlepoint on our wall.

What is the connection between relationship, trust, wisdom and reputation/ Quite a bit it turns out. 

The depth of the glory of the boundless love of God invites us to stand still in the middle of life and ponder. To be amazed by His overwhelming glory and grace is to know His heart and sacrifice and commitment to those whom He loves.

Life in God is most often about good, right relationships. Here in Ecclesiastes 9:7 - 10 Solomon points to four areas of life that are given to us to be satisfied in; eating, pleasures of goods, marriage and work. But in our modern context, does his admonition lead us into self centered entitlement and not towards deeper relationship with God. We’ll explore that question here today. 

There is a precious peace that can only be found in the comfort of the protection of God. A comfort that satisfies our deepest longings and needs. Even in the midst of our failures and our flopping between highs and lows of faith and falling away - God hears our call and answers our cry for hep and rescues us. 

The living don’t have it any better than the dead, and rain falls on the evil and the good. Even so, there is a double sided good life that God has granted to us. Ecclesiastes 9_1-6 tell us that,first, we are in His hands. Second, he has granted to us relationships which carry forward into, and echo back from eternity.

Whatever we look to to make us happy, satisfied and content has the potential to leave us unsatisfied. So many of us make idols out of the things that we look to for satisfaction, But God alone can satisfy us. 

God is inscrutable. This means that He and His ways are beyond finding out. That is, it does not take a lot of work and wisdom to find them out - rather, regardless of how much work and wisdom you bring to the task, you still won’t get close. So, Solomon gives us a surprising recommendation. Try enjoying the good things God has given you today. 

What are you afraid of? The Psalmist puts it this way when he asks, “What ails you oh mountains?” The question that confronts us is how will we respond to God. He answers that by indicating that fear of God is the only first response.

So much of life is unfair, and leans heavily towards the absurd. Good healthy people die tragically young while old murderers live out their long lives in the lap of wickedness and luxury. So here in Ecclesiastes 8:10 - 13 Solomon warns us against looking for fast justice and reminds us to press into a good and holy and righteous God who will cause justice to triumph.

There are so many incredible reasons to gif God praise. In Psalm 113 one of the most amazing reasons Is just how far down God has condescended to not just look at us, but also to lift us to his realm and to grant us His eternal gifts. 

Here in Ecclesiastes 8:1-9 Solomon gives a very bsic instruction for living wisely - Obey the King. It is arguable that this instruction was even harder for contemporary readers of this passage than it is even for me today in America in 2024. There are laws that are written, and there are rules that are unwritten, and there are politics and power, and that means that there is the ever-present poss...

When we think about what is important, living righteously is generally not top of mind for most people. We surround ourselves with so many behaviors and actions that will build a monument to our greatness, Yes in this Psalm (112) we are first shown that righteousness is needed to be remembered, and then we are comforted that there is a righteousness that stands on our behalf.

How does a guy say that there is no man on earth who is righteous, and then say that one man in a thousand is righteous and wise, and then point out that that man is not him? It happens when a man stops pursuing God and tries to fill his unsatisfied heart with wives, and then finds himself completely trapped.   Come check out Ecclesiastes 7:30 - 29 and find out how sarcastically the wisest man in...

Here’s a great way to start a Friday. Let’s look at the beauty and splendor of God and also - let’s hear a quick encouraging work on trusting God’s word. 

The mysterious nature of GOd is clearly seen in the fact of our daily experience that He is not fair. The fool and evil person outlive the wise and good people, and this reality smacks us as being a cruel and deplorable plot twist. But Solomon gently and skillfully continues to lead us here in Ecclesiastes 7:14 - 19 to see that the one thing we can base our lives on is that God is a good creator a...

In this passage the holy power of God is declared with such vividness as He lays out the coming judgment and destruction for the enemies of God and of His anointed King that we are left with only one response _ Be reconciled to the Son before His anger is kindled.  What a great way to start the season of Lent.

Does life ever seem to be a snow globe filled with submarine mines being shaken up by a drunk toddler? May that’s just me… And maybe I’ve already told you more about me than I should. Oh well. In Ecclesiastes 7:1 - 13 Solomon points out that this picture is not too far off, except that God is the one who has made the straight things crooked. So, that is the point of trying to live out a good purpo...

Jesus told the disciples that it is not what goes into ones mouth that makes one dirty, but what comes out of the mouth. This Psalm gives us a master class on cursing and shows us just how far the heart that seeks to not bless will go. It stands as a warning to us to watch our hearts, and a reminder of the blessing that we have received from the mouth of God. Let us walk in that same manner.

Living in the present requires that we maintain an eternal perspective. If we do not - if instead we live with our eyes focus on the here and now, then we will live a life doomed to meaninglessness and frustration. In Ecclesiastes 6:10 - 12 the preacher reminds us  of the need and value of rightly evaluating the length of our life and the depth of our impact so that we spend our energy and time in...

When we recognize that without God we cannot win, we can overlook the basic question of, “Wait, has God actually come with us?” If God is not with us, why not. Are we trusting in our own plans and forfeiting the work that God is performing on our behalf? God is a God of victory who saves us out of His greatness so that our praise would rightly flow back out towards Him. 

Work work work work work. No matter how much we labor our appetites will never be satisfied. So, the life spent on working to satiate our desires is a life that will be constantly unsatisfied and depressing and empty. God has given us good things to enjoy now in the middle of relationships as we enjoy the labor of our hands for our good and for the good of others. God, in His kindness, has blessed...

When the Redeemed of the Lord say so, they are saying that the steadfast love of God is seen in the salvation that we have experienced in spite of our stumbling in sin. We are invited to reflect on the cycle of our rejection of God, our falling into sorrow, an then our calling to God and His hearing and saving us. 

How do you find meaning in the midst of a never-ending treadmill life? We strive to do well and share life in so many good ways, yet, even in what is being shared, everything is ultimately fleeting and soon to pass away. This drives us to pursue the question, is my life worth any value? Another way to ask this is to ask how many people will miss us when we’re gone. Yet this will often lead to depr...