These are weekly articles published in our church bulletin. Feel free to use them for your leisure reading and personal edification. You may like to use the search box above to search for any particular topic of interest to help you find what you need.
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Allowing Death, Sorrow, and Adversity to Teach Us
Solomon teaches that adversity and difficulty reveal whether a person will respond with wisdom or folly. The wise exercise self-control under oppression, are patient and humble in uncertain situations, are “slow to anger,” and learn to live contentedly in the present. Though wealth offers some protection, “wisdom giveth life to them that have it,” and…
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Allowing Death, Sorrow, and Adversity to Teach Us (Part 1 of 3)
Solomon teaches that “it is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting,” because death causes the living to “lay it to his heart.” The wise seriously consider mortality and the realities of life, while fools distract themselves with laughter and amusement. Likewise, “it is better to…
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Pursuing Wealth Vs Enjoying God’s Gifts (Part 3 of 3)
Solomon teaches that riches and wealth do not satisfy because they cannot satisfy. Wealth is uncertain and cannot be carried beyond death, and the pursuit of it only increases vanity and anxiety. Instead, life is to be enjoyed as a gift from God, who gives food, drink, work, and the ability to rejoice in them.…
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Pursuing Wealth Vs Enjoying God’s Gifts (Part 2 of 3)
Solomon teaches that it is “good and comely… to enjoy the good of all his labour… which God giveth him: for it is his portion.” Yet he also observes a man to whom God has given riches, wealth, and honour, “yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof… this is vanity.” True joy is…
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Pursuing Wealth Vs Enjoying God’s Gifts (Part 1 of 3)
“He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver… this is also vanity.” Solomon shows that the increase of wealth does not bring satisfaction, for the more a man has, the more he desires, the more burdens he bears, and the less rest he enjoys, for “the abundance of the rich will not suffer…
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Careful to Hear, Slow to Speak, Quick to Obey (Part 3 of 3)
“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it… better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Solomon teaches that careless words and unfulfilled promises bring sin and judgment. True worship requires sincerity, obedience, and the fear of God, for “in the multitude of…
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Careful to Hear, Slow to Speak, Quick to Obey (Part 2 of 3)
“Be not rash with thy mouth… therefore let thy words be few.” Solomon teaches that we must be careful and thoughtful in our speech before God, remembering that He is in heaven and we are upon earth. A few sincere and reverent words are far better than many careless and empty ones, for “a fool’s…