[Faith-talk] 6/17/14 Daily Thought and Answer To Weekly Bible Game

[Paul]

Hello to all of you on this Tuesday or, for you in Australia and New Zealand, a Wednesday morning.  I hope this finds you well when you read this, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

Firstly, I'd like to give you the answer to last Sunday's weekly Bible trivia game.  It was Proverbs 4.  If you still have it in your files, might I suggest that you read Proverbs 4 along with the poem, and just see how the two harmonize.

Joyce A. Felske returns with another article for today entitled "Everything Is Meaningless," rendered as follows:

Ch1 of Ecclesiastes gives you an idea of how people today are feeling without God.  They are searching for everything under the sun to make them money, to give them pleasure, and to make them wise.  But they get nowhere.  Every day is the same for them.

Solomon wants us to know that if we try to find meaning in these things rather than in God, we will never be satisfied or content and everything we pursue will make us weary and tired.

Many times people today think that new things are coming along all the time.  Solomon said, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done:  and there is no new thing under the sun.  Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us" (Eccles. 1:9-10).

I have to chuckle at times at the things that some people come up with. They lead you to believe that they have come up with some new revelation.  They give seminars, and people flock to hear them.  When you examine their message, you find that it has its roots in pagan religions of old.  It is not new at all.

We always want to learn new things, but simply knowing many things cannot make things right or bring back what is lost.  The more we try to know about things that we think will make us wise, the greater potential it has to take us away from the knowledge of God.

We even have to be careful today that we do not try to follow every word of teaching around us.  If we do not evaluate the teachings we see but simply accept them all, confusion and instability will be the sad result.

Solomon gives a summary of all he has observed.  He says he gave his heart to search out by wisdom everything in life.  He said he had gained more wisdom than anyone else, and it had brought him only sorrow.

But do not be discouraged as you read this book because Solomon said that the conclusion to this whole dilemma is to "fear God, and keep His commandments:  for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccles. 12:13).

God has made a way of escape from the vanity of life through Jesus Christ.

And there you have Joyce's article which I trust brought you some food for thought, or probably will if you read it over a second time.

Joyce said that we are to examine every teaching that we read or hear, and especially Christian teaching, as some groups like to so subtly and craftily twist the Word of God to their particular viewpoint.  I'm not mentioning any group, because some of you might belong to such a one.  However, if you are looking for a church home, I'd listen to a prerecorded sermon by the pastor of the group to which you desire to fellowship with, Bible in hand, to determine if in fact it's the right church for you.  Of course, the ultimate Guide for this purpose is the Holy Spirit.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another Daily Thought message for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul