Seeking the Gospel Truth

As we’re winding down the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us to  enjoy life, but be wise about it. It’s advice for both young and old!  Let’s dig in… Keep reading in my blog where there are links to dig deeper and watch the special videos at the bottom…. It’s time to GET RIGHT WITH GOD! Are you ready to meet God today? You may just meet God today! If you want to reap all the benefits...

So far, Solomon looked at life and came to the conclusion that life under the sun — that is, outside of a Heavenly relationship with God — is meaningless. Here we have some more tidbits of wisdom.  Every decision we make in life — no matter how minor — requires wisdom.  We gain wisdom by following God, by diligently reading His Word — the Bible — daily!  We fail when we keep making...

Life is short. Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow. Two episodes ago ,  I told of 2 recent deaths that happened 5 days apart. Both men died of  the same thing — their hearts just stopped. Both men had plans for their  tomorrows. My cousin, who was 67, had plans to see his 6th grandchild  be born. My colleague, who was 76, probably had a mentoring session with  a budding entrepre...

hat’s a good question! We look around the world  today and all we see is injustice. It makes no difference what political  party you favor. Injustice is still injustice. Some people see  injustice and speak out on social media. Others take to the streets in  protest. A few will rise up and run for government office claiming that  they can make things right. Nevertheless, w...

Enlightenment. We all want it. We all seek it.  Getting “in the know”, knowing something before someone else does. Being  the person people come to when they want to know something — the wise  one. Remember, however, there is a difference between knowledge and  wisdom. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting  it in a fruit salad. I heard someone com...

After my dad had a heart attack at age 64, he  retired from his sales job. He picked up a new hobby — betting on  horses. Yes, gambling. Why? I guess he wanted to leave a legacy for me,  my mom and half-brother. Sure, he won a few times, but never as much as  he lost. He threw away money for 5 more years. Also, he smoked (which,  to me is another waste of money) since he w...

As a kid, I remember my parents taking me on  road trips outside of New York City to visit historic mansions-turned  tourist attractions. We wanted to get a taste of what it was like to be  rich. As an adult, living in Miami, one of my favorite places was the Viscaya mansion in Coconut Grove ,  pictured above. Every year, they hosted a Renaissance Festival. For a  day, one...

In this next chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon goes from testing to see  what brings purpose in life “under the sun”, to observing life. He comes  to the conclusion that 2 people are better than one. We need each  other. We need people. And, of course, that reminded me of yet another  of our “ folk mass ”  songs, “Get Together”, from 1967, by The Youngbloods. The video is a...

To everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn. And a time to every purpose under heaven… Those  are the beginning lyrics to a song from 1965, called, “Turn, Turn,  Turn” by the Byrds. I learned it on the guitar and years later, when I  was in high school in the early 70s, I played and we sang it during  “folk masses” in the Catholic Church in our small to...

Are You Expecting More Out of Life Than it Can  Give? Think about that for a minute. Worldly pleasures — that’s what we  all want, right? Eat, drink and be merry! That’s why we casually wish  everyone a happy whatever! What is happiness? I heard this quote in the most unlikely place, but it is so true… Don Draper in “Mad Men”What’s happiness, but the moment before you want more happ...

As I write this, there is a volcano erupting on a  tiny island off the coast of Africa called La Palma. It’s one of the  Canary Islands which belong to Spain. The lava is eating up homes and  businesses. Gratefully, there have been no injuries and 5000 people have  been evacuated. However, these people have lost all their possessions  and livelihoods. There is a chance tha...

It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Yesterday we saw how King Solomon, wise man that he was, accumulated gold and  horses, two of the 3 things that God said a king shouldn’t accumulate.  The 3rd was wives. Somehow, Solomon got into his head that to keep the  peace, he would marry the daughters of kings of the surrounding pagan  nations. In tot...

Solomon was infamous. He was known all over the world for his wisdom and  his wealth. This sparked the interest of the Queen of Sheba. The land  of Sheba was probably modern day Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan, and/or Eritrea.  It’s an area known for its spices and incense. What gifts do you bring  to a king who has it all? Let’s dig in… Keep reading in my blog where there are links to...

God heard Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple .  His presence in the temple made it Holy. Now, God expects Solomon and  his descendants to follow God’s instructions and commandments with  integrity and godliness. If they do, everything will be fine. If they  don’t…. Well, as we will soon see, it’s not that simple. It’s not that  easy. The lust of the flesh, pr...

Way back in Deuteronomy , Moses, speaking for God, explained that the Israelites had to celebrate 7 festivals each year. They were Passover , Harvest, Weeks ( Pentecost ), in the Spring (which Jesus fulfilled). Then Rosh Ha-Shanah (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement ), and Tabernacles (Shelters) or Sukkot, in the fall. These Jesus will fulfill when he comes the second time . Check ou...

t last there is a permanent home for the Ark of  the Covenant — no longer wandering like the Hebrews did for 40 years.  The temple is finished and everything from the tabernacle ,  including the Ark, is moved into the new building by the Levites — the  priests. It’s interesting that Solomon held the temple dedication near  the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. It’s the last...

Sparing no expense. That’s the theme of today’s chapter as Solomon not  only finishes the temple decorating, but builds himself a palace. It  took him 7 years to build the temple and 13 years to build his palace.  This reminded me of a TV show back in the mid 80s – early 90s, “ Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous “.  It featured Robin Leach traveling all over the world touring ma...

King  David wanted desperately to build a permanent home for the Ark of the  Covenant (Ark of God), but God told him that it was not his job .  That task would fall on his son Solomon. See, David was a warrior king.  Solomon was a king of peace and wisdom. Therefore, it was Solomon who  got to build the magnificent structure that was to be a semi -permanent  home. Thi...

After Solomon cleaned up his father David’s lose ends ,  he goes about the business of setting up his monarchy, his government.  This is Israel’s golden years. God’s promises are being fulfilled. The  temple will finally be built. It all starts with a solid foundation.  Let’s dig in…. Keep reading in my blog where there are links to dig deeper and watch the special video at the...

Y esterday I read Psalm 45 ,  which went along with 1 Kings 3 and Solomon’s first wedding.  Unknowingly, I left out some very important prophetic passages from the  discussion. Yes, Jesus is the King, before whom nations will bow.  However, who is the Bride? Is it the beautiful Egyptian princess that  Solomon took as his first wife. (Yes, and there will be more!) No. The &...

ho doesn’t want wisdom?! What’s the difference  between knowledge and wisdom? Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a  fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to add it to a fruit salad. There is  natural wisdom — the kind you get with age and experience. The “been  there, done that” kind. The wisdom that tells you not to touch the hot  stove again. Learning from your mistakes and th...

Here we have the real last words of King David, to his son, Solomon, and  the world. We read his last prayer, as well as instructions to Solomon  on, being a real man, his relationship with God and with certain people.  David left some lose ends and he instructs Solomon to use his wisdom to  tie them up. Solomon is just 20 years old and it’s interesting how he  ends up adm...

Kings. Israel wanted a king like all the nations around them. So, God gave them Saul . He disobeyed God. Then God anointed David .  Now, David is very old, about 70, and bedridden. Here, we’ll meet  David’s successor to the throne. First, his oldest son, Adonijah, then  the one chosen by God, Solomon. The Books of 1 and 2 Kings serve as a backbone for the rest of the  Bible. Sc...

Who knows you better than God? Nobody. Psalm 139 is King David’s most beautiful ballad. It describes in loving detail what a relationship with your Loving Father is like. Also, if you think you can ever hide  from God, you are sorely mistaken! He sees EVERYTHING that you do. Good  AND bad! We’ll take it section by section. Let’s dig in… Keep reading in my blog where there are links to di...

Though these are the last 2 chapters of 2 Samuel, and King David’s last  official words, he still has a lot to say in 1 Kings as he passes the  throne to his son, Solomon. Here we also have David committing a sin,  and we’ll see 2 different angles of the story. Finally, we have David  making an important purchase that has prophetic significance even today.  Let’s dig in…....