Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:16 serves up another patchwork quilt of wisdom from above. What’s the difference between human beings and animals? What’s the difference between human beings and God? Why do the powerful so often take advantage of the weak and vulnerable? What are the benefits of faithful companionship and friendship? Join Pastor Jim as he unpacks some practical and timeless truths from this ancient wisdom book.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
“We are creatures, not the Creator, and the Teacher is out to shatter my illusion that I can be like God. I want to have it all, know it all and be remembered by all for all time. No, says the Teacher, life is gift, not gain.”
David Gibson, Destiny
“We deface the world when we scribble ‘me’ all over it, and invite others to do the same”
Sir Roger Scruton
“Sin does not always drive us to drink; more often it drives us to exhaustion. Tiredness is equally as debilitating as drunkenness. Burnout is slang for an inner tiredness, a fatigue of our souls. Jesus came to forgive us all of our sins, including the sin of busyness.”
Mike Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality
“Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God’s holiness and sovereignty…acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours.”
J. I. Packer
“Jesus came to raise the dead. He did not come to teach the teachable; He did not come to improve the improvable; He did not come to reform the reformable. None of those things works.”
Robert Farrar Capon
