Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / June 10 - Ecclesiastes 7

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June 10 - Ecclesiastes 7 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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Hello friends, it's shown here. It is Monday.
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It is the 10th of June, which means we say Happy birthday,
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Your Majesty, although it's not actually the King's birthday.
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It is the figurative day that we all take a day off work and wish
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King Charles a happy birthday. But As for me, whore, it's
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chilly. Got myself a hot cup of tea in
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my hands. Life is good and you've joined
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me, so life is even better. Good to have your company
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because today, today we begin the last full week that we're
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going to spend reading through the book of Ecclesiastes.
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We will finish it off early next week and then dive back into the
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New Testament where we'll spend the next few months.
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But we will continue reading through this book where where
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it's actually quite wonderful because here we are thinking
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wisdom is all about knowing wise things.
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But in the end, the wise teacher that Koheleth says, you know
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what wisdom tells me that there is no such thing as the simple
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answers to life's difficult questions, that we just need to
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sit with those questions and be grateful for what we have and
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celebrate our life lived under a loving God.
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So that is what we shall do. We shall put away the big.
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No, actually, we're going to put away the big questions.
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We're going to grapple with the big questions and find ourselves
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in some very good company as we do that.
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So why don't you join me, friends?
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Let's put down the business of the day of the week, of
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whatever's going on, as we come before our God to hear His
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words. As captured in Ecclesiastes
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Chapter 7, A good reputation is more
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valuable than costly perfume, and the day you die is better
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than the day you were born. Better to spend your time at
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funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies, so the
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living should take this to heart.
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Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining
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influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about
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death, while the fool thinks only about having a good time.
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Better to be criticised by a wise person than to be praised
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by a fool. A fool's laughter is quickly
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gone, like thorns crackling in a fire.
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This also is meaningless. Extortion turns wise people into
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fools, and bribes corrupt the heart.
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Finishing is better than starting.
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Patience is better than pride. Control your temper for anger
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labels you are full. Don't long for the good old
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days. This is not wise.
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Wisdom is even better when you have money.
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Both are a benefit as you go through life.
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Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom
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can save your life, except the way God does things.
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For who can straighten what He has made crooked?
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Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike,
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realised that both come from God.
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Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
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I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the
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death of good young people and the long life of wicked people.
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So don't be too good or too wise.
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Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don't be too
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wicked either. Don't be a fool.
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Why die before your time? Pay attention to these
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instructions for anyone who fears God will avoid both
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extremes. One wise person is stronger than
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10 leading citizens of a town. Not a single person on earth is
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always good and never sins. Don't eavesdrop on others.
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You may hear your servant curse you, for you know how often you
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yourself have cursed others. I have always tried my best to
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let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions.
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I said to myself, I am determined to be wise.
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But it didn't work. Wisdom is always distant and
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difficult to find. I searched everywhere,
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determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for
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things. I was determined to prove to
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myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.
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I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than
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death. Her passion is a snare and her
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soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God
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will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.
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This is my conclusion, says the teacher.
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I discovered this after looking at the matter from every
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possible angle. Though I have searched
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repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for.
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Only one out of 1000 men is virtuous, but not one woman.
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But I did find this God created people to be virtuous, but they
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have each turned to follow their own downward path.
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Lord, we are broken people. We are broken, sinful people who
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are surrounded by a sinful world that continues to pull us in
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directions other than yours. Each of us makes poor decisions
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each day, and no matter how virtuous other people seem,
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Lord, we know that every one of us, every one of us fails at
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being virtuous. I don't even think the author's
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estimation of one in 1000 of us are virtuous.
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So, Lord Jesus, we need you to transform our hearts, to soften
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our hearts, to shape them, to enlarge them, and for your
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Spirit to slowly transform us from the inside out.
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That's the fruits of your Spirit, Lord, love, joy, peace,
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patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self
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control. These are your ways.
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Shape us, refine us, so that we can be more like you, our
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wonderful, surprising, kind, gracious and gentle God.
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And thank you that even when we get this wrong day in and day
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out, You patiently stand by us, arm around us, heart open to us.
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And so we just declare that you are Lord and that we love you,
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and we pray all these things in your name, Jesus, Amen.