Real Friendship

The right friends won’t just comfort you in your pain, they’ll point you back to Jesus in the middle of it.

Because real friendship isn’t just about making you feel better temporarily. it’s about helping carry you closer to the One who can actually heal you. 

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Galatians 6:2 ... Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Proverbs 17:17 ... A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ... Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. ❤

Most Sparkling Diamond

 A believer's last day is his best day! Death is a change of enjoyments. It is a change of our more dark and obscure enjoyment of God for a more clear and sweet enjoyment of Him. The best believer in this world, who enjoys most of God--he is still much in the dark and does not enjoy God clearly.

Ask those who live highest in the enjoyment of God, "What is your greatest burden?" They will tell you: "That our views of God are quite darksome, so that we cannot see Him face to face, whom our souls dearly love."

Death is a change of our imperfect and incomplete enjoyments of God, for a more complete and perfect enjoyment of Him. One has beautifully said: "The glorious things of Heaven are so many, that they exceed number; so precious, that they exceed estimation; so great, that they exceed measure!"

There are no complaints in Heaven, because there are no needs. Oh, when death shall give the fatal stroke, there shall be an exchange of this wilderness world, for the glories of Heaven!

Here in this present world, the saints receive grace; but in Heaven, they shall receive glory! God keeps the best wine until last. Here we have but some sips and tastes of God; the fullness is reserved for the glorious state. He who sees most of God here on earth, sees but his back parts; His face is a jewel of such splendor and glory, that no eye can behold but a glorified eye.

The best of Christian is able to take in only a glimpse of God; their hearts are like the widow's vessel, which could hold only a little oil. Sin, the world, and creatures take up so much room in the best hearts that God gives Himself out little by little; as parents give sweets to their children. But in Heaven God will communicate Himself fully and at once to the soul! Grace shall then be swallowed up in glory!

Death is a change of a more inconstant and transient enjoyment of God for a constant and permanent enjoyment of God. Here on earth, the saints' enjoyment of God is changeable. But in Heaven there are no clouds arising between the Lord and a believing heart. In Heaven there are nothing but kisses and embraces; nothing but a perpetual enjoyment of God! When once God takes the soul unto Himself, He shall wipe away every tear.

Jesus is the most sparkling diamond in the ring of glory! It is Heaven and happiness enough, to see Jesus and to be forever with Him. One has said, "For Jesus to be with Paul, was the greatest security but for Paul to be with Jesus, was the chief happiness!"

Oh, what a glorious change this is! Methinks these things should make us long for our dying-day and account this present life to be but a lingering death. 

[Thomas Brooks]

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1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 ... Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 ... A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. ❤

The Myth of Mother Nature!!

Who is regulating affairs on this earth today: God, or the Devil? That God reigns supreme in Heaven, is generally conceded; but that He reigns supreme over this earth, is almost universally denied if not directly, then indirectly. More and more are men relegating God to the background, in their philosophizing and theorizing. Take the material realm. Not only is it denied that God created everything, by personal and direct action, but few believe that He has any immediate concern in regulating the works of His own hands.

It is common to hear disasters explained as impersonal "Forces of Nature," or mere outcomes of "Natural Laws," or "Bad Luck." Yet Scripture shatters that notion: War, pestilence, floods, storms, earthquakes, fires all flow from the eternal decree and providential governance of our holy God. When hurricanes lash the coast, or fires consume forests we must not bow the knee to the myth of "Mother Nature" but humble ourselves before the One who "commands and raises the stormy wind." (Psalm 107:25)

Nahum 1:3, "He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath His feet." Every blast of wind and crack of thunder, fulfill His wise and holy will.

When disaster strikes, our natural impulse is fear and bewilderment. Yet believers are called to recognize God's sovereign hand in every storm and tempest of life. We do not cower at chance events, for there is no "chance" with Him. We should pray with assurance, knowing that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Earth and air, fire and water, hail and snow, stormy winds and angry seas all perform His sovereign pleasure. It is God who withholds the rain, and it is God who gives the rain when He wills, where He wills, as He wills, and on whom He wills.

Either God governs or He is governed.  Either God rules or He is ruled.  Either God has His way or men have theirs.

No revolving world, no shining of star, no storm, no creature moves, no actions of men, no errands of angels, no deeds of Devil nothing in all the vast universe can come to pass, otherwise than what God has eternally purposed.

Here is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. It is not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or Devil but the Lord Almighty who is ruling His world, ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for His own eternal glory!

[A. W. Pink]

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Ecclesiastes 7:14 ... In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

Isaiah 45:6-7 ...  That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

Psalm 135:6 ... Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. ❤

God's Handwriting!!

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.

[Ralph Waldo Emerson]

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ...  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Psalm 19:1 ...  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. ❤

One Bite At a Time!

I had a vision of a mighty elephant being surrounded, not by lions, which would make sense, but by a huge pack of wolves. That alone struck me. Elephants roam African terrain; wolves do not belong there. Yet there they were, biting him piece by piece. It was painful to watch. I felt compassion. I felt grief. It reminded me of the movie Black Hawk Down when the helicopter went down in enemy territory. That soldier fought until his last breath, firing as the enemy swarmed him. I remember the camera panning over the scene as the mob rushed in. Watching that scene, I felt such sorrow for that warrior who stood his ground until the very end.

That same sorrow filled me in this vision.

The elephant, strong, massive, powerful, was being attacked from every side. One wolf would bite the back leg, and as the elephant turned to defend itself, another would clamp onto the front. They had him spinning in confusion, reacting instead of advancing. It wasn’t one fatal blow. It was “one bite at a time.”

Scripture says in Acts 20:29 that “grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” Wolves do not attack with honor. They attack with strategy. They look for vulnerability. They isolate. They exhaust.

And 1 Peter 5:8 warns us:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Notice, seeking whom he may devour. The elephant is not weak. It is powerful. But even the strongest can be overcome when surrounded and distracted.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” The opposite is also true, division creates vulnerability. Jesus said in Mark 3:25, “If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

What I saw was not just external attack, but confusion. Spinning. Reacting. Losing focus. The strategy was exhaustion through constant biting. The enemy understands strength. The way to bring down something strong is not always with one massive strike, but through relentless pressure, narrative shaping, accusation, internal fracture, and distraction. One bite at a time.

But here is what I also know: The elephant carries weight. It carries memory. It carries endurance. And Scripture reminds us in Isaiah 59:19, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” This is not a call to fear. It is a call to discernment. To vigilance. To unity. To prayer. Because wolves gather when they sense opportunity. And strength must remain steady, not spinning in confusion, but standing firm, sober, and unified.

For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear what the spirit of the Lord is saying.

[Ricardo Colon silentpreacher.net]

If You Strike a Dog With a Stick!

Hosea is convinced that his trials come from God. Ungodly men set down their troubles to chance; and sometimes they even trace them to the devil as if they expected their father the devil, to have chastening dealings with them. Frequently they lay their trials at the door of their fellow men, and grow quarrelsome, malicious, and revengeful. It is a happy day for a man, when he knows in whose hand is the chastening rod, and learns to trace his troubles to God. Alas, there are even some children of God who greatly err in this matter when under affliction; they spend their time in bewailing second causes, and do not look at the first cause. This is quite brutish. 

If you strike a dog with a stick, then he will bite at the stick; had he a little intelligence, he will bite at you; and know that the blow came, not from the stick or stone, but from the hand that used these implements. Often when believers are in trouble, they look at the secondary agent, and they spend their anger or their thoughts entirely there. If in the day of adversity they would consider, then they would perceive that afflictions do not spring out of the ground, neither do troubles come by chance; but the hand of the Lord is in all these things. "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider God has made the one, as well as the other." (Ecclesiastes 7:14) 

Whichever way the trial came, it ultimately came from Him. If the trouble was caused by a triumphant enemy, or by a deceitful friend, if it came as a loss in business, or as a sickness of body; or if it wounded us through the arrows of death piercing the heart of our beloved in each case, it was the Lord. Learn that lesson. God has smitten you. He has torn you. He has done it all. He has ordained our trials for chastening and established them for correction. Let us not despise them by refusing to see His hand, or by angrily rebelling against Him. 

Perhaps I am speaking to one who has been followed by a succession of troubles until he is now surrounded by a sea of affliction. You have scarcely escaped from one trouble, before you have plunged into another. It seems to you as if your "bad luck," as you call it were no more absent from you at any time, than your shadow. You cannot succeed at anything; whatever you touch, withers beneath your hand. You have been sick again and again. You have lost your best friend when you most needed him. You have lost your employment, and wherever you apply you get no favorable reply. 

Perhaps you are so sorely smitten, because the Lord has some great design of love to your soul. May you look on the series of trials through which you have passed as being really sent to you not by chance or haphazard, nor by the conjunction of the stars, nor by anything of that atheistic foolery which men are so fond of inventing but sent from God Himself, with a gracious intent. He smites, He tears, He slays but this is His surgery of love. Hosea had learned to trace his troubles to God Himself, and not to second causes. Notice that it is customary with God to smite His beloved people, according to His own words, "Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten." (Revelation 3:19) 

Oftentimes the Christian who endures heavy trials, receives such severe treatment because the Lord has a secret love to his soul. These chastisements and heavy blows, which are compared in the text to tearing and to smiting often fall upon God's own beloved people just because they are His beloved, and He cannot in any better way display His love to them. Look at the vine which bears fruit, and you shall see that every year at the proper season the ruthless knife of the pruner cutting away what seems to be the liveliest shoots, removing the hopeful branches, and leaving the poor vine to bleed, or to appear to be a mere dry stick. 

Yes, the vine needs pruning it belongs to the gardener's choice plants, and he looks to it for rich clusters. You who are tossed to and from and are broken by sorrow, need not startle with dread because you are made to suffer, for the Lord lays heavy hands upon His own redeemed people, and reserves the ungodly for His wrath. The believer who sinks lowest in soul sorrow, may still bless God that he is not in the torments of Hell. At our worst, we are indulged with a fullness of mercy, compared with what our sins really deserve. 

[Charles H. Spurgeon] 

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Hosea 6:1 ... Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

Proverbs 3:11–12 ...  My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Hebrews 12:6 ...  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ❤

A Riddle in Providence!

Upstarts frequently usurp the highest places-while the truly great pine in obscurity. This is a riddle in providence whose solution will one day gladden the hearts of the upright; but it is so common a fact, that none of us should murmur if it should fall to our own lot. When our Lord was upon earth, although He is the King of the kings of the earth-yet He walked the footpath of weariness and service as the Servant of servants. 

What wonder is it if His followers, who are princes of royal blood, should also be looked down upon as inferior and contemptible people? The world is upside down, and therefore, the first are often last-and the last are often first. See how the servile sons of Satan rule in the earth! What a high horse they ride! How they lift up their horn on high! Haman is in the court, while Mordecai sits in the gate. David wanders on the mountains, while Saul reigns in state. 

Elijah is complaining in the cave, while Jezebel is boasting in the palace. Yet who would wish to take the places of the proud rebels? And who, on the other hand, might not envy the despised saints? When the wheel turns-those who are lowest rise, and the highest sink. Patience, then, believer, eternity will right the wrongs of time! 

[Charles H. Spurgeon] 

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Ecclesiastes 10:7 ... I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

Matthew 20:16 ...  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. ❤

The Last Four Things

1. DEATH – The Inescapable Appointment Death is not a possibility--it is a divine certainty. It is the wages of sin (Romans 6:23), the last enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26), and the doorway to eternity. No one escapes it. The rich and the poor, the righteous and the wicked, the young and the old, all must pass through its shadow. Yet for the believer, death is not the end, but the beginning of glory. Christ has removed the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:55), and to die is now gain (Philippians 1:21). But for the unrepentant, death seals their eternal doom. "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) 

2. JUDGMENT – The Unavoidable Reckoning After death comes judgment not reincarnation, not annihilation, not a second chance. Every soul will stand before the throne of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). The books will be opened (Revelation 20:12), and every thought, word, and deed will be weighed. For the believer, Christ has borne the judgment. For the unbeliever, every sin will be exposed and justly condemned. There will be no appeals, no excuses, no escape. "For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:14) 

3. HEAVEN – The Eternal Home of the Redeemed Heaven is not earned, it is purchased by the blood of Christ. It is the home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13), the dwelling place of God (Revelation 21:3), and the eternal inheritance of the saints (1 Peter 1:4). There, we shall see Christ face to face (1 John 3:2), worship without sin, and rejoice without sorrow. No more tears. No more death. Only unending joy in the presence of the Lamb! "In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11) 

4. HELL – The Eternal Justice of God Hell is real. It is not a metaphor, not a scare tactic, but a terrifying reality. It is the just punishment for sin, under God's righteous wrath (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 14:10–11). Jesus spoke more of Hell than anyone else in Scripture. The Cross of Christ is the only refuge from the Fire of Hell. Those who reject Christ, will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb; the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night. There are many ways to enter Hell. There is only one way to avoid Hell. There is no way to escape Hell. "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46) 

These Four Last Things are not distant abstractions they are imminent realities. You will die. You will be judged. You will spend eternity in either Heaven or Hell. The only hope is Jesus Christ, who died and rose again to save sinners. 

Repent and believe the gospel. Cling to Christ. Live every moment in light of eternity!

[Various Authors]

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Hebrews 9:27 ...  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Amos 4:12 ... Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. ❤

Sure Possession!!

They are seated on the highest throne of joy, and revel in the sweetest sunshine of delight, who know that God is their sure possession. They who hold Him as their own by the hand of faith have greater riches than earth can give, and surer property than this world can amass. 

[Henry Law]

2 Samuel 22:36 ... Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 ... Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

Psalm 34:10 ... The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. ❤

When a Lost Man Dies ...

When a lost man dies: his relatives scramble for his money; the worms scramble for his body; and the demons scramble for his soul! What a fearful and sobering picture this is! The world may dress death in velvet and flowers, but God reveals its true horror for the unregenerate soul. The instant a man without Christ breathes his last, everything he loved is torn from him. His money is left behind, becoming a point of contention and greed among his relatives. The body he once adorned and pampered, is claimed by corruption and decay. And his soul the most precious part of his being is cast into eternal Hell. 

The world's goods, its riches, its pleasures, its pomp, its fame what are all these without Jesus? They are a painted pageantry to go to Hell in! They are a mockery to an immortal spirit. They are like a mirage in the desert, deluding the traveler, but not yielding one substantial drop of joy. "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind!" (Ecclesiastes 1:14) 

Yes! This poor world is a heap of chaff; the only enduring treasure is to be found in Jesus. If you neglect Him, you neglect all that is worth having. For the lost, death is not an escape it is the doorway to everlasting punishment. Jesus spoke more often of Hell than of Heaven, warning us with great compassion: "Fear Him who, after killing the body, has power to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5) 

The man who lives for himself and dies without Jesus, does not rest in peace. He awakens to eternal torment, where hope never dawns, and mercy is no longer offered. Dear reader, do not be deceived. Life is short! Death is certain! Eternity is near! 

A golden coffin will be a poor compensation for a damned soul! 

[Charles H. Spurgeon] 

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Hebrews 9:27 ... And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Mark 8:36 ... For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? ❤

Opening Flowers

Have you ever watched the development of a rose from the tiny bud to the open flower? The bud held little more promise of beauty, than the foliage about it; but day by day it grew until it was full and round. One day you saw a thread of color promise of the rose to be, peeping through the covering of green. Each morning you saw the thread of color widening until the bud burst asunder and the flower was revealed. 

You looked upon this bursting bud with admiration and delight, though yet you did not see the rose in its full size and beauty. You had to wait until it was full grown and fully open, until it had reached its maturity, before you could behold the complete flower. But in the opening blossom you had the beauty of the mature rose blended with the grace and charm of the bud. Girlhood is the opening flower of womanhood. It has charmed all its own. 

The wonderful change from the child to the woman, the marvelous blossoming of young, healthy girlhood will ever be God's great miracle in life's garden. Like a half-open rose is girlhood. We are charmed, both by the beauty of the bud, and by the wonderful coloring of the rose. We behold the familiar traits of childhood that have always charmed us and held our affections but blended with these in ever-changing variety are the graces and powers of womanhood. 

Do you, dear girls, appreciate the golden days in which you are living? You have your perplexities and vexations, of course yet you are enjoying the merry, carefree days of youth, which are generally the happiest days of the whole life. You are standing "where the brook and river meet," where childhood's days and childhood's toys are put aside, for the greater things of womanhood. 

[Mabel Hale]

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Ecclesiastes 11:9 ...  Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

Proverbs 31:30 ... Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

1 Peter 3:3-4 ... Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. ❤

Swept Off

Dear Friend, 

We shall both very soon, I anticipate, be called away from seeing all things through a glass darkly to meeting God face to face and shall have to answer to Him for the deeds done in the body. 

We would certainly exhibit the most inordinate vanity, if we thought that the great mass of our fellowmen would be losers by our being swept off the great chessboard of this world. This board, indeed, is always so crowded that, with the exception of our attached relations and a few friends, the greater number of our neighbors will be glad to know that our being cleared away has left more elbowroom for them. 

Think how soon the world gets over the death of an eminent minister and let us be content that the place that knew us once, shall know us no more. 

[George Wilson]

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Psalm 103:15-16 ... As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.  For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

Ecclesiastes 1:11 ... There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

Ecclesiastes 2:16 ...  For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

Psalm 90:10 ... The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. ❤

Absolute Sovereignty!!

One has stated, "God does not permit things to happen. He purposed all that comes to pass in time, before time began. And all that He ordained from eternity and performs in time, is good." 

Sadly, many in Christendom do not accept the teaching of God's absolute Sovereignty over His world. I offer the following Scriptures without comment, for your perusal: 

"Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" Exodus 4:11 

"See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand." Deuteronomy 32:39 

"The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts." 1 Samuel 2:6-7

"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job 2:10 

"For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground." Job 5:6 

"For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal." Job 5:18 "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other." Ecclesiastes 7:14 

"This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them." Jeremiah 32:42 

"Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?" Lamentations 3:38 

"When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?" Amos 3:6

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Tenacious Upon The Mad Pursuit!

Worldly men imagine that there is true excellence and true happiness in those worldly things that they so arduously pursue. They imagine that if they could but obtain them, they would be happy. But when they procure them and cannot find happiness in that then they change their course and look for happiness in some other earthly vanity. 

Hence, they spend their life tenacious upon the mad pursuit! "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!" (Ecclesiastes 12:8) But Christ Jesus has true excellence, and so great excellence that when they come to know Him, they look no further, but the mind rests there! "Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" (Song of Solomon 5:16)  

A saving knowledge of Christ is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to Heaven, fully to enjoy Him, is the fullness of bliss! He who has Christ, has all that he needs, and needs no more. 

[Jonathan Edwards] 

Matthew 13:44-46 ... Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

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Lump of Vanity

In reality . . . riches are but dust, honors are but shadows, pleasures are but bubbles, and man is but a lump of vanity, composed of sin and misery. 

[John Mason]

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 ... Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

Ephesians 4:17-19 ...  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Psalm 39:11 ... When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah. ❤

A Time For Everything ...

A Time to Think: We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thought.

A Time to Act: Express your gratitude for something good that has come your way.

A Time to Pray: Lord, help me to see the blessings that might come from my difficulties. Amen.

[A.W Tozer]

Ephesians 5:16 ... Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 ... To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Philippians 4:8 ... Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ❤

Beliefs...

You are free to believe whatever you want to believe. 

 

But the Scriptures say ... 

 Life is short. 

 Death is real. 

 Hell is hot. 

 Eternity is long. 

 Only Jesus saves.

James 4:14 ... Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Hebrews 9:27 ... And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Revelation 20:15 ...  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 ...  I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Acts 4:12 ... Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

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Timing ...

God has this supernatural thing called timing. 

 

We may not understand it, but we can trust it. 

 [Toby Mac]

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ... To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. ❤

Not The Doll or The Rattle

Worldly portions can never satisfy the souls of men. Absalom's beauty could not satisfy him. Haman's honor could not satisfy him. Ahab's kingdom could not satisfy him. Balaam's gold could not satisfy him. Ahithophel's wisdom could not satisfy him. The pharisees' learning could not satisfy them.  Dives's riches could not satisfy him. 

All the world cannot fill the soul; nor can all the creatures in the world fill up the soul with complete satisfaction. Nothing can be the satisfaction of the soul but He who made it. All earthly portions are dissatisfying portions. They do but vex and fret, gall and grieve, tear and torment the souls of men. 

The world is a circle, and the heart of man is a triangle, and no triangle can fill a circle. Some good or other will be always lacking to that man who has only outward good to live upon. The soul can never be at rest, until it comes to rest and center in God. God Himself is the soul's only home. No good but the chief Good, can suffice an immortal soul.

It is the breast and not the doll nor the rattle which will satisfy the hungry babe. And it is God, and not this or that creature which will satisfy the soul of man. 

[Thomas Brooks] 

Ecclesiastes 5:10 ... He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

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All Below is Vanity.

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes gives us his experience of the unsatisfying nature of all worldly honors and pleasures. Everything that could please the eye, charm the ear, gratify the taste, or amuse and enrich the mind, was by him, sought and enjoyed. The whole circle of earth's pleasures was tested. But in the end, all is pronounced "vanity and a striving after wind." 

The disappointment results from the very nature of the soul. Its capacity being illimitable no finite enjoyment can fully meet its enlarged desires. Nothing but a faithful discharge of duty and the approving smile of God can make the soul happy. Give the soul whatever you will, gratify every earthly wish, it will still be wretched if it is without God. All below is vanity. 

The consideration that all worldly good must so soon be relinquished, is of itself enough to cast a shadow over its enjoyment. The heart must feel that there is nothing permanent here in this poor world. "Life is but a vapor." All earth-born pleasures are transitory. Death withers every flower as soon as it blooms. Man is too hurried to the tomb, and then forgotten. If then all below is stamped with vanity, then O, let us seek our all in God. Let us relinquish in desire, what we have been accustomed so much to value that the soul may start anew in the race for a prize worthy of her struggles, and which when obtained will amply reward her toils. 

Let us fix our eye on the "unfading crown of glory!" Let us deliberately renounce this vain world and take God for our only and all-sufficient portion! Whether on earth we are known or unknown, honored or despised; let us seek after this one thing: to secure the favor of God, to enjoy His presence, and at last to be with Him and inherit His glorious kingdom! 

[Jared Waterbury] 

Ecclesiastes 2:11 ... Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

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