Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:11–12) After making the statement that “two are […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Christian Living
Two Are Better Than One
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10) The opening line sets the stage with a statement of fact: “Two are better than one.” If you are […]
Read MorePersonal Disillusionment
I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up […]
Read MoreHope Beyond Cynicism
So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die. (Ecclesiastes 3:22) To help you replace angry cynicism with fresh hope, I want to ask three questions. I’m […]
Read MoreLook for an Advantage
For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down […]
Read MoreTwo All-Important Conclusions
What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. […]
Read MoreAll-Pervading Opposites
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 reads: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven—A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is […]
Read MoreA Flash of Insight
So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realised that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? (Ecclesiastes 2:24–25) Solomon gets a rare flash of insight that suddenly grabs his attention. […]
Read MoreMore Miles of Bad Road
I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! So I gave […]
Read MoreIt’s Time to Face the Truth
After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. (Ecclesiastes 2:3) Solomon’s wrap-up counsel deserves prime-time exposure. It belongs on the marquee of every X-rated theatre. Like a note, it could be inserted inside every bottle of drugs. It would be a great neon sign […]
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