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I love the book of Ecclesiastes and in this lounge wish to dream off on those strange, poignant, wise and deep verses within.

Please anyone post your thoughts, or begin with a verse from the book you'd like to discuss or just wish to post cos you like it! But I don't want this to be any debate, or anything to do with the common misconception that the book is not to be trusted, or has a pessimistic view of life, or that life is meaningless, because I don't believe that to be true or what the book says. I just want to focus on the meanings of the verses and what they mean to you.

One to start:

Ecc 1:2
2.  Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

Solomon here I believe (as the theme of the book) means that Everything is Temporary.... and therefore vain. So it could read 'Temporary of temporaries, everything is temporary'.

Here Solomon finds the 'futility' of this earthly life. Now he doesn't mean there are not eternal consequences cos in fact he elsewhere says there are, and that for all that you do, God WILL bring you one day into Judgment with Him about them.

Everything is temporary because it literally is, and God has made it so for the time being. Nothing in and of this present world is eternal.. yet. (Except there are spirits in this world but that would be another topic).

Our day for many is a routine. Almost meaningless. (From my male point of view....) Get up go to work, come home, see the kids, have fun with your wife in bed, sleep, wake up the next day and do it all again.

Nothing in this world lasts. Not our bodies, our health, our highs, our lows, our gadgets, or machines, or animals, or trees, or grass, or food in the fridge, etc and so on,,

Would love your thoughts,

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Words Of Jesus Devotionals - 1

But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. (Matthew 3:15) (NKJV)

The first of the words of Jesus as is found in the Gospel of Matthew. Fulfilling all righteousness was the main agenda of the life of Jesus. Righteousness basically means doing the right thing and for Jesus, that meant doing the will of the Father in Heaven.

Matthew writes,

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" (Matthew 3:13, 14)

John knew that the One who asked to be baptized was greater than him, so he tried to stop him, but later he fufilled his duty when Jesus told him that it was fitting for them to fulfill all righteousness.

What about us? Are we eager to do the will of the Father? Ponder please for a moment.

The Bible says,

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

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Jesus said,
'Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.' (John 14:1)

'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.' (John 14:27)  

Hi there,

I was reading the other night, on my journey through scripture, following Chaplain's procedure of four chapters a day; about the angels going in to Sodom and how they blinded the crowd who were storming Lot's house with evil intent,  so that they could not find the door of the house in which they were all sheltering Genesis 19).  

I remembered at the same time how our Lord walked away and simply disappeared among the crowd on times; although at one point angry men wanted to take him to the top of a hill and throw him down to his death.  With God all things are possible, and He is able to protect and keep as is necessary, that His perfect will be done for each one of us, isn't He?

This brings to mind a true story I read of a missionary who was in a very difficult situation in Africa; in a small house with marauding gangs bent of rape and violence approaching.  Who tells of that same band of savage men, to her amazement moving away, and later telling of seeing guards surrounding her home, so that they felt afraid and outnumbered and turned and fled away, leaving her safely in her home.  There were no guards there in reality, no earthly ones at least!  Which reminds me of 2 Kings 6:15-18  

'And when the servant of the man of God (Elisha) was risen early, and gone forth,
behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots.
And his servant said unto him,
"Alas, my master! how shall we do?"
 And he answered,
"Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."
And Elisha prayed, and said,
"LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. "

And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw:
and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said,
"Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness."
And He smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Amazing! Miraculous! - But this is our God! So,
'let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid'

In Christ
Wings