A WHOLE MAN

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.  Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 We have all been there…stuck. Stuck talking to a person who drones on and on with no hope of escape. You try to casually step back, but just as soon as you move back the distance gap is closed. Some people just really like to talk and it seems like there really is no point at all to what they are saying. Maybe so far you are thinking to this introduction to the blog post is kind of like that.  Perhaps, as tou were going through the book of Ecclesiastes you were thinking the same thing. Seeking in this wisdom book the point of it all, the purpose of life. And one by one, like dominoes everything that you thought would be the ultimate source of satisfaction was toppled over. Whether it was wealth, wisdom, satisfaction of sexual desires,...

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:  2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;  3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8  If understood incorrectly, one might assume that Solomon is suggesting that life is full of contradictions. But I assure you that this is no Starburst commercial (see: Starburst Commercial ). Solomon is e...

24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.  Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 (ESV)  At the time of this writing, Bill Gates, one of the richest men alive is worth an estimated $94 Billion. That is a lot of money! And, while that is an unimaginable amount of money, there was another man who was worth a great deal more. John D. Rockefeller is considered to be one of the richest persons in modern history. He was the first ever American billionaire and would have been worth $340 Billion today by one estimate; that is $246 Billion more than Bill Gates. One quote tha...

"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity." Ecclesiastes 1:2 (ESV) Happy New Year Everyone! What a somber text of Scripture to be selected for the opening Blog article for the new year! Why would it even be appropriate for us to have this in the Scriptures? This does not motivate us or cause us to stand up and scream in excitement. It does not create in us incalculable energy to take on the new year. If anything, it is about as enjoyable as flooding rain on a ticker tape parade. And yet, we open the year in our Bible Reading plan with these words found in the book of Ecclesiastes. In the New Year, many of us are caught up in a whirlwind of emotion and enthusiasm for how we will conquer the new year. For some, it means finally starting, and finishing, the diet we had planned so many years ago. Or actually using the gym membership we purchased for longer than 3 months. Others may have other activities they plan to accomplish as the...

As we approach the New Year, we begin our Bible reading plan in Genesis, Matthew, and Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon reminds us that all things are vanity. In a Jewish context, it referred to that which was fleeting or frustrating. The major theme of Ecclesiastes is not that nothing matters or even that the things of this world is like the chasing of the wind. The author is conveying a theological truth; that we must face and endure through the frustrating things in life to find joy and satisfaction in life as we fear God throughout all our life. May this be in our hearts and minds as we approach 2019. If you would like to join the Bible Reading Plan, you can do so by clicking the Connect button under the Group Reading section @ https://faithlife.com/overflowtx/activity **************************************************** Check out the new Church Website! www.overflowcup.com You may also follow Overflow Church by joining the church group @ https://faithlife.com/overflo...