Lessons from Suffering

Ecclesiastes may seem like a difficult book to understand at first read. I think it is! I am thankful that as I study, God opens up to me biblical principles to guide my life. Our prayer is that you would take these truths and let them encourage and challenge your heart. Scripture has much to say about suffering in many other places. It's no surprise that here in the book of Ecclesiastes the wisest person deals with this topic. Our question for chapter 7:1-6: "What lessons from suffering can believers learn from these verses?" (If you wish to take notes, there are free notes available for you with the Scripture references we mention. You can download them right off the blog under the "Notes" section.) Listen in and let us know what you think!

Until We Meet Again....

Dear Listeners, Our hearts are thrilled to have had the pleasure of studying with Karen Hime on Women in the Word. Today will be Karen's last day on the program with us. Through a variety of events that God has worked in her life, she has decided that it would be best to devote her time to other areas of ministry that she is involved with. As you think of her, continue to pray for Karen as she uses God's Word in her own personal spiritual growth, and as she counsels with others. Perhaps we may have the privilege of having her on the program as a guest in the future! As we continue or study in Ecclesiastes, we'll be joined by Meredith Henderson and Gloria Ormiston. These women have been guests on the program in the past and we look forward to their time with us in the future. Thank you for praying for us as we strive to study God's Word and apply it to women. Walk with the Lord and be a blessing, Rebecca, Pam, Crystal & Sarah

God's View of Success

There are a lot of ideas in our world today about what achievements make you successful. Achieving your dream job, making a difference in the world, helping those in need, purchasing a home or vehicle are just some examples of success. In the Old Testament, many children and long life were considered blessings (Ecclesiastes 6:3-6). What does the Bible have to say about being successful in God's eyes? We have to be careful that we are not determining our success by the world's standards, rather by God's. This is very difficult to do, but as always, every thought must be based on the truth of God's Word. Here are some things from God's Word that we suggest are successful:

1. Glorifying God by becoming more like Christ (Romans 8:29)
2. Representing God well to others (Ephesians 4:1-2)
3. Encouraging fellow believers to grow and change (Colossians 1:28-29)
4. Rejoicing in trials (James 1:2-4)
5. Developing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24)
6. Success is described in Paul's prayer to the believers in Ephesus (Ephesians 3:14-19)
7. Developing godly character qualities (Colossians 3:12-17)

Continuing in Ecclesiastes

Deb Brammer will join us for another five sessions as we continue on with our study of Ecclesiastes. So, as we go on in chapter 6, we ask, "What role does God have in the satisfaction which wealth, possessions and honor can bring?" God gives us the ability to enjoy His creation and contentment and satisfaction comes from Him alone (Job 1:21-22). Do you take time each day to be thankful and praise God for the things He gives you to enjoy? Are you recognizing that all you have comes from Him alone? What a challenge it is to remember that it is God who gives the ability to enjoy all things!

A Visit With a Missionary

Over the next few broadcasts we will be visiting with missionary Deb Brammer. She currently is ministering with her husband, Art, in the country of New Zealand. We hope you will be able to tune in and listen as she shares her heart for serving the Lord and for the ministry she is in. Here is more about Deb: I was raised in a pastor’s home and I was a compliant child. Compared to other kids my age I was a pretty good kid. But if you compared me to Christ or God’s perfect standard of holiness, of course I fell far short. As a child of five I understood that I was a sinner, was sorry for my sin, and believed in Jesus Christ as my Savior. My life didn’t suddenly make great changes, but that simple decision changed the course of my entire life. I never wandered far away from God or fell into deep sin that could hurt my testimony. I always wanted my life to count for God. Becoming a Christian at an early age saved me from sin and a lifetime of regrets. During my teenage years I gave my life to the Lord and asked Him to lead me. I always had a heart for ministry and a desire to serve Him in a career ministry. While at Bible college I felt God calling me to write for Christian publication. God also led me to my future husband and missionary service. Art and I have served with Baptist Mid Missions for more than thirty years. We served in Taiwan for sixteen years and have been working in New Zealand for more than 13 years so far. We count it a privilege to serve the Lord in whatever place He puts us. You can find more about Deb and her ministry: www.debbrammer.com and www.debbrammerbooks.com .

Honoring God With Our Possessions

How can we enjoy our possessions in a way that honors God? Ecclesiastes 5:19 says, "Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them...this is the gift of God." God gives us the privilege of enjoying what we have. We must enjoy our possessions in a way that pleases and gives honor to the ONE who gave them to us! Here's our thoughts about how we can enjoy our possessions to honor God.

1. Have the right heart attitude (Proverbs 30:7-9)
2. Praise Him for creation
3. Recognize that all we have comes from God
4. Use our skills and strengths to help others
5. Be good stewards of what we have
6. Trust in God and not our riches (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
7. Give God the glory with what you have.

What do you think? What are some ways that you are currently using your gifts, material possessions or money to honor God?

Money Does Not Bring Happiness

Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 talk about the theme of the vanity of wealth and possessions. Verse 10 says that "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money..." What a sobering thought to mediate on. So often we are happy (only for a little while) when we have plenty of money in our checkbook. So our question today is: "Why is money unable to bring happiness or contentment?" When money is what we strive after, we are not living in obedience. This holds true for any other material possession or relationship in life. Matthew 22:27 tells us that we need to love God with our whole heart, not money, things or people. Material possessions will eventually break, be lost, stolen or waste away (Matthew 6:19-21). Money does not last, but God's love does. Obedience, resting in God's love and His promises for us bring true happiness and contentment. Are you striving for your happiness in God or are you striving for money or material possessions to bring you contentment?

Fearing God

Ecclesiastes 5:7 says that "God is the one you must fear." What does it mean to fear God? Well, in this context, the word "fear" means "to fear, tremble." It is the idea that we ought to fear God's wrath so much that if we make a promise we will fulfill it and not give excuses as to why we cannot. For when we break a promise given to Him we are at risk of losing what God has allowed us to achieve (vs. 6). We ought not to fear man, our reputation or be prideful, but we must fear God and be obedient to Him.

Approaching God

As we approach God to worship Him, it is important that we come to Him with the right attitude. Have you ever attempted to worship Him when your mind is distracted? Have you ever tried to pray after a fight with someone in your family? It is difficult to come to God if our minds are not prepared to come to Him with reverence. Today we will share our thoughts regarding coming to God with the right attitude. How do you prepare your mind to worship Him?

Ecclesiastes 5 - Worship

As we begin Ecclesiastes 5 we find that Solomon is now visiting the temple. As we read through these first three verses, we see that there are many truths which we can apply to our lives today! Solomon tells us to Guard your steps and to Draw near to listen. Wow! These are big truths to apply as we seek to worship God. For many, worship can become a meaningless exercise, something we do because we have always done it. For others, it takes mental work to get to church with a heart prepared for worship. Solomon is telling us to "proceed with reverence" and acknowledge the authority of God. Are you coming to worship God each week with a heart of reverence and prepared to listen to God's Word?