Blog Archives

585. The Philistines Capture the Ark ⏤ 1 Samuel 4:1-11

8/31/2018

585.

Philistines Take the Ark in Victory

1.

Today's Passage: 1 Samuel 4:1-11

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

6th strategy.
Cause and Effect

Begin by inviting God to show you what is the cause and effect hidden in these verses. Ask Him to show you nuggets of wisdom.
Read the passage completely.
Divide a piece of paper into two columns.
Title the first column Cause and the second column Effect
Reread the passage. This time ask if there are any instructions that are given that have a direct end result.
Write down the causes (in Cause column)and the effects (in the Effects column).
Do you find a pattern?
What are your thoughts?
Now as you wrap all these thoughts up in your mind. Stop and thank God for being with you this very day.

1. At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer and the Philistines were at Aphek.
2. The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men.
3. After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the LORD allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?" Then they said, "Let's bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies"

4. So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD of Heaven's Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of the God.
5. When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD coming into the camp their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake!

6. "What's going on?" the Philistines asked. "What's all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?" When they were told it was because the Ark of the LORD had arrived,
7. they panicked. "The gods have come into their camp?" they cried. "This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before!
8. Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness.
9. Fight as never before, Philistines! If you don't, we will become the Hebrews' slaves just as they have been ours! Stand up like men and fight!"

10. So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents.
11. The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.
1 Samuel 4:1-11

4.

Thank you for coming today.
Please leave your initials and a comment.
Don't forget to check the box underneath your comment,
so replies will be directed to you.

And remember,
I pray for you every day.
And I will be back here tomorrow,
I hope I will see you here too.
~Robyn

Robyn & Biff Cox
RR&BC, LLC ©2016

1 Comment

584. Come and Sing ⏤ Psalm 95:1-11

8/30/2018

3 Comments

584.

Praise to the LORD, and Warning Against Unbelief

1.

Today's Passage: Psalm 95:1-11

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

29th Strategy.
Called to Evaluate Our Choices

Enter your time with the LORD in prayer.
Read the entire passage.
Does the passage call for an evaluation of choices made? If so, stop and re-read that section one time.
Continue through the entire passage.
After reading the passage through one time, go back and re-read the section calling for an evaluation.
Would the choices you are facing in your life today be similar to the choices in the passage.
Write them down on a sticky note, or underline them in your bible.
Whatever you are being prompted to evaluate, write it down. (This will be a great source of strength for years to come.)
Take these choices to the LORD. Ask Him to give you clarity on how to move forward.
Tell Him you desire to make wise choices and you know you need His guidance.
Ask God to broaden your vision for the passage.
Thank Him for His guidance and praise Him for His words.
(I encourage you to write down what God shows you.)

1. Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3. For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods.
4. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.
5. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.

6. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,
7. for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!
8. The LORD says, "Don't harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
9. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did.
10. For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, 'They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.'
11. So in my anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of rest.'"
Psalm 95 NLT

3 Comments

583. Jesus Heals in Response to Faith ⏤ Mark 5:21-43

8/29/2018

4 Comments

583.

Miracles and Faith

1.

Today's Passage: Mark 5:21-43

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

30th Strategy.
Are Miracles Involved?

Enter your time with the LORD in prayer.
Read the entire passage.
If there is a miracle in the passage, stop and re-read it.
Continue through the entire passage.
After reading the passage through one time, go back and find part describing the miracle in the passage.
Read two verses or more before the miracle of the passage.
Read two verses or more after the miracle of the passage.
In re-reading the verses surrounding the miracle of the passage, did you find a conflict occurring because of the miracle?
If you did, write down the conflict. What brings this conflict up. Is it due to people? People in power? People in darkness? People in anger? Ask God to allow you to ponder the reasons given for the conflict.
If you did not find conflict, ask yourself if you yourself would have been convinced by the miracle.
Do you see miracles and pass them by?
Ask God to broaden your vision for the miracles in your world.
Thank Him for His guidance and praise Him for His words.

21. Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore.
22. Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet,
23. pleading fervently with him. "My little daughter is dying ," he said. "Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live."

24. Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.
25. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding.
26. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.
27. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.
28. For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed."
29. Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

30. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?"

31. His disciples said to him, Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, 'Who touched me?'"

32. But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.
33. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done.
34. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you will. Go in peace. Your suffering is over."

35. While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."

36. "But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid, Just have faith."

37. Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn't let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James).
38. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing.
39. He went inside and asked, "Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn't dead; she's only asleep."

40. The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying.
41. Holding her hand, he said to her "Talitha Koum," which means "Little girl, get up!"
42. And the girl, who was twelve years old immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.
43. Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.
Mark 5:21-43 NLT

4 Comments

582. Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man ⏤ Mark 5:1-20

8/28/2018

2 Comments

582.

The Gerasene Demoniac

1.

Today's Passage: Mark 5:1-20

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

24th Strategy.
Jesus Speaks

Pray for God to open your heart to hear a new word from Him today.
Read the entire passage.
Re-read only the words that are written in red. These words signify words that were said by Jesus Christ, himself.
As you re-read the words spoken by Jesus imagine He is speaking and you are there.
Then read the passage surrounding those words.
Ask God to show you what He wants you to see.
Now re-read the entire passage one more time.
Don't forget to thank Him for being with you.
Don't forget to thank Him for answering.

1. So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gersenes.
2. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him.
3. This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain.
4. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
5. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.

6. When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him.
7. With a shriek, he screamed, "Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don't torture me!"
8. For Jesus had already said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit."

9. Then Jesus demanded, "What is your name?"

And he replied, "My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man."
10. Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.

11. There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby.
12. Send us into those pigs," the spirits begged. "Let us enter them."

13. So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

14. The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened.
15. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane. and they were all afraid.
16. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs.
17. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.

18. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him.
19. But Jesus said, "No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been."
20. So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.
Mark 5:1-20 NLT

2 Comments

581. Tattenai's Letter to King Darius ⏤ Ezra 5:6-17

8/27/2018

4 Comments

581.

Adversaries Write To Darius

1.

Today's Passage: Ezra 5:6-17

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

12th strategy.
History - So, now I know where it is.

Again, I would like to emphasize, simple acts of meditation are not so much difficult, as uncomfortable.
God wants you to know how His story happened.
How He created the earth, made his children, and how traditions became interwoven into his family.

Open your heart. Begin with confession.
Ask God to prompt you to hear Him and what He wants you to come away with.
Read the passage.
Does this passage answer questions or lay down foundations of traditions you have often wondered about?
Read the passage again.
Take a moment to highlight the verses that answer a question you have often wondered about.
Has a particular spiritual practice been born out these particular passages. If so, write the spiritual practice down, and then the scripture book and numbers corresponding to it.
You might consider writing this in the margin of your bible. or even in the inside cover for future reference.
End by asking God to reveal to you the reasons for His traditions. Is there a meaning that applies to you today?
Don't forget to thank God for being with you right where you are, right now.

6. This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor, Shethar-bozenai, and the other officials of the province west of the Euphrates River sent to King Darius:
7. "To King Darius, Greetings.

8. "The king should know that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.

9. "We asked the leaders, 'Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?'
10. And we demanded their names so that we could tell you who the leaders were.

11. "This was their answer: 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel.
12. But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he abandoned them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who destroyed this Temple and exiled the people to Babylonia.
13. However, King Cyrus of Babylon, during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple of God should be rebuilt.
14. King Cyrus returned the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. These cups were taken from that temple and presented to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah.
15. The king instructed him to return the cups to their place in Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple of God there on its original site.
16. So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed.'
17. "Therefore, if it pleases the king, we request that a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever issued a decree to rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem. And then let the king send us his decision in this matter."
Ezra 5:6-17 NLT

4 Comments

580. The Rebuilding Resumes ⏤ Ezra 4:24 & 5:1-5

8/26/2018

3 Comments

580.

The Rebuilding Resumes

1.

Today's Passage: Ezra 2:24 & 5:1-5

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

5th strategy.
A simple strategy: Building Blocks

Begin by asking God to join you in building into your heart what He would want you to build.
Read the passage completely
Read the passage again. With the second reading pause after each phrase/sentence and think about the phrase/sentence. Take the phrase/sentence in slowly.
You might want to reread the phrase/sentence until the meaning, or importance of the phrase/sentence really sinks in.
After reading each phrase/sentence at least once, sometimes more. Go back and reread the entire passage.
Do you find that the passage builds phrase/sentence upon phrase/sentence in importance? Why? or Why not?
What phrase/sentence do you find most important in the passage?
Thank God for this phrase/sentence and commit it to memory today.
Don't forget to thank God for being here today with you.

24. So the work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stopped, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.
________
1. At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.
2. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak responded by starting again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them and helped them.

3. But Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues soon arrived in Jerusalem and asked, "Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?"
4. They also asked for the names of all the men working on the Temple.
5. But because their God was watching over them, the leaders of the Jews were not prevented from building until a report was sent to Darius and he returned his decision.
Ezra 4:24 - Ezra 5:1-5 NLT

3 Comments

579. The Futility of Work ⏤ Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

8/25/2018

3 Comments

579.

The Futility of Labor

1.

Today's Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

8th strategy.
Choose three important verses that speak to you today.

Begin by getting your heart ready to receive the words that God has laid down for us on this page. Ask Him to give you what you need to hear. Ask Him to give you the mind of Christ to be able to remember this strategy and continue it throughout the day.
Read the passage completely.
After reading the first time go back and chose the three most important verses that speak to you today.
Ask God to bring those verses back to you through out the day.
Find out if by the end of the day only one verse has been thought about more than the others.
Thank God for that verse.
This is a good strategy to use for long passages.
Be sure to stop and thank God for being here with you today.

18. I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned.
19. 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!
20. So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.

21. Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn't worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy.
22. So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety?
23. Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

24. So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.
25. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?
26. God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless ⏤ like chasing the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 NLT

3 Comments

578. The Wise and Foolish ⏤ Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

8/24/2018

2 Comments

578.

Wisdom Excels Folly

1.

Today's Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

9th strategy.
Read and summarize each verse into as few
words as you can. Goal 1 or 2 words.

Begin by asking Jesus to cleanse your heart to hear what He has for you to hear.
Read the passage completely.
After reading through the first time, go back and read the first verse in the passage.
Then try to narrow the focus of the verse down to one or two words.
Write those words down either on a piece of paper, or on your text messages on your phone.
Read the 2nd verse and do the same thing.
Complete all the verses in the passage.
Sign and date the page in your journal, or send the text message to yourself.
Review these words throughout the day.
Thank Jesus for the words that He gave you to bring you closer to Him through this day.

12. So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?).
13. I thought, "Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness.
14. For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark." Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate.
15. Both will die. So I said to myself, "Since I will end up the same as the fool, what's the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!"
16. For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.

17. So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless ⏤ like chasing the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:11-17 NLT

2 Comments

577. The Futility of Pleasure ⏤ Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

8/23/2018

3 Comments

577.

The Futility of Pleasure and Possessions

1.

Today's Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

3rd strategy
For Familiar Passages. Read Anew!
Read the passage from Last to First!

Sometimes we have read a passage of Scripture so many times we can't see it with new eyes.
How can we change the passage without changing the meaning?
What would we see if we take a passage and begin with the last verse and read the verses from Chapter 3.
For example: Chapter 3:10-1.

Begin with asking God to open your heart to allow you to see these verses afresh with new eyes and hear with new ears.
Now begin reading Chapter 3 beginning with verse 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Does the passage change in meaning? Does it give you a new insight into it?
Finalize with re-reading the passage in the way it was originally written.
Look back over the verses. Does any one verse stand out in your heart?
Pray over that verse. Place it in our heart, your journal, on a 3X5 card or sticky note. Tape it in your bible, on a mirror, or on your desk.
Be sure to thank God for being here with you today. He gets great pleasure from our gratitude.

1. I said to myself, "Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the 'good things' in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless.
2. So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?"
3. After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

4. I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.
5. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees.
6. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves.
7. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me.
8. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!

9. So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me.
10. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.
11. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless ⏤ like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 NLT

3 Comments

576. Everything is Meaningless ⏤ Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

8/22/2018

1 Comment

576.

The Futility of All Endeavor

1.

Today's Passage: Ecclesiastes 2:1-18

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

26th Strategy.

Wisdom - The fear of Jehovah (the LORD) is the instruction for Wisdom: Proverbs 15:33

Bring your heart before the LORD and open up to Him. You may come boldly before the throne of God.
Ask Him to cleanse you heart and remove any resistance you might have to wisdom or understanding.
A wisdom passage can be hidden within other information.
There might be a nugget in a phrase, or a sentence.
Whole passages can also be wisdom passages. All of Proverbs for example.
Remove whatever word, phrase, sentence or section of the passage pulls on you heart.
Write it down.
Ponder on this as long as you need to.
Bring your time with LORD to gratitude and enter your day!

1. These are the words of the Teacher, King David's son, who ruled in Jerusalem.
2. "Everything is meaningless.," says the Teacher, "completely meaningless!"

3. What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?
4. Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.
5. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.
6. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.
7. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.
8. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

9. History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.
10. Sometimes people say, "Here is something new!" But actually it is old; nothing is every truly new.
11. We don't remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

12. I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem.
13. I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.
14. I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless ⏤ like chasing the wind.

15. What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered.

16. I said to myself, "Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them."
17. So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned first hand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.

18. The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 NLT

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585. The Philistines Capture the Ark ⏤ 1 Samuel 4:1-11

584. Come and Sing ⏤ Psalm 95:1-11

583. Jesus Heals in Response to Faith ⏤ Mark 5:21-43

582. Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man ⏤ Mark 5:1-20

581. Tattenai's Letter to King Darius ⏤ Ezra 5:6-17

580. The Rebuilding Resumes ⏤ Ezra 4:24 & 5:1-5

579. The Futility of Work ⏤ Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

578. The Wise and Foolish ⏤ Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

577. The Futility of Pleasure ⏤ Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

576. Everything is Meaningless ⏤ Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

May God Be Glorified in our Reading and Hiding His Word in our Hearts.

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