Before you watch or read today’s Daily Word, please read Ecclesiastes 11:1–6. God wants you to develop an abundance mentality. In the early nineteenth century, the Rev. Thomas Malthus argued that “population tends to increase faster than the supply of food available for its needs.” Consequently, human beings face a perpetual shortfall of necessities and must act with a scarcity mentality, focusing on how to increase their slice of a limited pie. Malthus’s argument influenced Charles Darwin and his followers, the latter of whom especially saw life as a struggle between species over limited resources in which only the fittest … Continue reading The Abundance Mentality (Ecclesiastes 11:1–6)

Before you watch or read today’s Daily Word, please read Ecclesiastes 10:16–20. We recently held a national election, which gets me thinking about politics. Does the Bible have anything useful to say about government or citizenship? Absolutely! But it usually speaks in general principles rather than offering detailed policy guidelines. Take, for example, what we read in Ecclesiastes 10:16–20. The Preacher begins by noting how unpleasant it is for citizens to live under a bad regime. More precisely, he points out how cursed it is for “the land” to live under the unwise (child kings) and self-indulgent (feasting princes). Obviously, … Continue reading Government, Good and Bad (Ecclesiastes 10:16–20)

Before you watch or read today’s Daily Word, please read Ecclesiastes 10:8–15. Much of the Bible, and most of its so-called “wisdom literature,” is common sense. Wisdom literature—a few Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, Song of Songs, James—is known for its simplicity and practicality. When you read it, you are more apt to say, “No duh!” than you are to say, “Huh, I never thought of that.” The genius of wisdom literature lies in its ability to remind us of truths that we already know—or should know—and to encourage us to take appropriate action. Take, for example, the little proverbs the … Continue reading No Duh! (Ecclesiastes 10:8–15)

Before you watch or read today’s Daily Word, please read Ecclesiastes 10:1–7. As a pastor, I work hard to keep politics out of the pulpit. Of course, like most Americans, I have more than my fair share of strong opinions about what happens in my state capital and Washington DC, but it’s wrong for me—or any other pastor—to use my church position as a platform for launching partisan rants at you. Politics is neither my vocation nor my area of expertise. Now, don’t worry, I do not intend to rant today, either, but I want to use a political example … Continue reading A Little Idiocy Goes a Long Way (Ecclesiastes 10:1–7)

You can watch today’s Daily Word by clicking on the image below. But first, please read Ecclesiastes 9:11-18. One of the best books in my library is a little collection of proverbs by Peter Kreeft entitled A Turn of the Clock. Do you want some samples? Under the title, “The New Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God,” Kreeft writes: “If there’s a Big Bang, there must be a Big Banger.” Then there’s this one, under the heading, “The World’s Worst Smell”: “Bodies stink after they die; dead souls, before.” (Think about that!) Or how about this contrast between heaven … Continue reading Auto Mechanics in Hell (Ecclesiastes 9:11–18)

Before you watch or read today’s Daily Word, please read Ecclesiastes 9:1–6. In the Hands of God (Ecclesiastes 9:1–6), posted with vodpod ___________________________________ Ecclesiastes 9:1–6 teaches that your life is in the hands of God. Obviously, in a general sense, everyone’s life is in God’s hands. He is the Creator of “the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), and therefore everything in them belongs to him (Psalm 24:1). He is the Provider of the needs of all people. As Jesus said, “he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and … Continue reading In the Hands of God (Ecclesiastes 9:1–6)

Before you watch or read today’s Daily Word, read Ecclesiastes 8.14–17. Joy is a Deliberate Choice (Ecclesiastes 8:14-17), posted with vodpod ___________________________________ In Ecclesiastes 8.14–17, the Preacher identifies two realities that we all experience on the journey through life: injustice and ignorance. Both are obstacles in our path, and both have the power to turn us aside from the road to heaven, if we let them. But there is a way through the obstacles, the Preacher tells us; it is the way of joy as a deliberate choice. Consider our experience of injustice. Long ago, Aristotle defined justice as treating … Continue reading Joy Is a Deliberate Choice (Ecclesiastes 8:14–17)

Beifore you watch or read today’s Daily Word, please read Ecclesiastes 8:1–9. Wisdom and Government (Ecclesiastes 8:1–9), posted with vodpod     A wise person obeys the law. That, in a nutshell, is the message of Ecclesiastes 8:1–9. Like so much else in Ecclesiastes, the message is obvious and common sensical, but it also raises difficult questions for those who live under difficult governments. The Preacher begins with two questions and two observations. The questions are rhetorical. Wisdom makes a person incomparably valuable because he understands God, the world, and himself. The observations relate to the effects of wisdom, which … Continue reading Wisdom and Government (Ecclesiastes 8:1–9)