October 1
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ECCLESIASTES 10
8 He who digs a pit will fall into it,
and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who splits logs is endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.
11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
– Ecclesiastes 10:8-11
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ECCLESIASTES 10 THE BLUNDERS OF FOLLY
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
Those who rely on their own strength and understanding
They will open up themselves to all kinds of humiliation
When a fool plots to put down someone
He himself will be snared in his own doing
When a fool schemes to violate someone’s boundaries
He digs himself a pit that he will fall into effortlessly
The foolish thinks that they can manipulate others
Only to be deceived by their own traps later.
Because a fool does not care for others, he is isolated
Unless he gains a profit from them, he will stay secluded
While the wise continue to grow in their pursuits
The fools stay in their futility and mindless doings
The errors of folly are so apparent and clear to others
But to himself, he cannot even see his own blunders
They continue to chase their own tails in a circle
While the wise are able to grow in all their endeavors.
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REFLECTION
• Share some of the blunders of folly that you have encountered in your lifetime.
Monthly Archives: September 2023
ECCLESIASTES 10 ON FOLLY, WISDOM & CALMNESS
September 30
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ECCLESIASTES 10
Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place,
for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
– Ecclesiastes 10:1-7
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ECCLESIASTES 10 ON FOLLY, WISDOM & CALMNESS
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
The heart is the source of our words and actions
When the heart is upright, it will manifest wisdom
A fool’s heart is inclined to do thoughtless things
It feeds the pleasure-seeking selfish nature to sin
Folly is like the stench of dead flies over a perfumed area
No matter how little they are, it pollutes the fragrance
Folly is so obvious that you can spot it very easily
Fools lack sense and just do things out of recklessness
They don’t look, hear or use their minds when they do or say things
They are automated to follow their self-centered desires and motives
The wise exudes their wisdom and it always makes sense when they speak
They are good listeners and talk very little; they think before they open their lips
The wise do not react and let their feelings stir them up; they are calm
Their calmness pacifies even the maddest person and quiets their soul.
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REFLECTION
• What are the traits of foolish people that are easy to spot?
• How can calmness pacify even the angriest person?
ECCLESIASTES 9 THE POOR WISE MAN
September 29
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ECCLESIASTES 9
13 I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 14 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. 17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. – Ecclesiastes 9:13-18
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ECCLESIASTES 9 THE POOR WISE MAN
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
In a city full of sinners came a poor man who confronted sin
He was bold and wasn’t afraid to expose the evils around him
Out of his love for these sinners, he gave up his life
He delivered the city from their bent nature to sin
Yet his sacrifice was not received by many
They didn’t recognize their need for being rescued.
The poor wise man spoke of truth that will free them
Yet these fools didn’t comprehend his wisdom
Instead, they continued to clamor for honor
They were all obsessing for greatness and power
Not knowing that these things won’t last forever
They stayed foolish in thinking they are respected.
The words of the poor wise man were finally heard
A chosen few listened carefully to each word he said
They realized and saw how these words changed them
They began to hunger for them and be transformed by it
Though there were few who remembered the poor wise man
They were bearing fruits from his word and they were never the same.
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REFLECTION
• What do you think Solomon was referring to in verses 14-15?
ECCLESIASTES 9 TIME AND CHANCE HAPPEN TO ALL
September 28
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ECCLESIASTES 9
11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.
– Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
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ECCLESIASTES 9 TIME AND CHANCE HAPPEN TO ALL
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
Many people surmise that things happen out of chance
This thinking is influenced by a world that does not know God
We hear people presume and predict events that will transpire
It is pure arrogance and foolishness to think we know the future
Not everything that happen make sense; even the obvious can change
The wise, though they know things are still surprised by the unexpected.
The health-conscious people may think they can prolong their lives
Yet some of them die early from an illness that doesn’t make sense
The rich could have been very skilled at gaining a lot of wealth
But one day, the chance of a fire or theft will make them lose it all
We plan and ensure that we fulfill all our desires and dreams
But we may not reach it because time and chance prevented it.
All humans have no way of knowing when his end is coming
Only the Almighty God sees it all and no man is in control
What good is it to think that we can predict time and events?
It is futile to continue to take hold of something only God can
Time and chance happen to all, be ready to face the inevitable
Acknowledge that God is the only One in absolute and total control
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REFLECTION
• What did Solomon mean in verse 11?
• What do you think is the root of presumption and assumption?
ECCLESIASTES 9 MAKE THE BEST OUT OF EACH MOMENT
September 27
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ECCLESIASTES 9
7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.8 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
– Ecclesiastes 9:7-10
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ECCLESIASTES 9 MAKE THE BEST OUT OF EACH MOMENT
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
Life is what we make it, let us then do our best to please the Lord
If we obsess about comforts in life, we are living for this world
If our hearts are grateful and not grumbling, we will enjoy our portion
But bitterness and selfish ambition can make us miss God’s provision.
Let us be thankful whether we have plenty or have a lack
Sometimes our lack will make us discover another gift from God
We certainly do not like being ill, but it can make us lean on Him
In our weaknesses, we can be sure that God is truly our strength.
Make the best out of each moment, whether they are good or bad
For the Lord uses any situation to make his people grow in their faith
Examine your hearts always so that you can stay undefiled and pure
An unexamined life is reckless, let your minds be transformed and renewed.
Be thankful for the people that God has put in your life each season
He knows what you need at that moment, so enjoy God’s provision
When things do not turn out to be what you expected it to be
Find the lessons that you need to learn from it so you don’t flee from it.
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REFLECTION
• Why do we miss out on the lessons and the gifts that God provides us with?
• Why do we tend to focus on the problems when they are actually opportunities to learn?
ECCLESIASTES 9 DEATH WILL INEVITABLY COME
September 26
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ECCLESIASTES 9
But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 9:1-6
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ECCLESIASTES 9 DEATH WILL INEVITABLY COME
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
The righteous continue with their good deeds according to God’s plan
Just as the wicked will not stop from doing their schemes and evil plots
To ponder on the intentions of man’s heart is futile, only God knows
But whether someone is good or bad, death will inevitably come.
Those who do not know God will continue to live for this world
But all those who the love him will follow his truth revealed in his word
Some may think that it doesn’t matter whether you do good or not
They are ignorant and don’t know God’s promise of an everlasting life.
Those who love the world will cling on to life on earth, they don’t know better
But all the children of the Lord have hope that there will a life after
All our physical bodies will deteriorate and disintegrate eventually
But for all those whom God chose will be the fulfillment of eternal life.
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REFLECTION
• What do you think Solomon meant in verse 5 when he said that the living know that they will die but the dead know nothing and have no more reward?
ECCLESIASTES 8 LIVE FOR THE MOMENT
September 25
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ECCLESIASTES 8
14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. 16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. – Ecclesiastes 8:14-17
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ECCLESIASTES 8 LIVE FOR THE MOMENT
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
There is a time for different seasons in our lives
We do not know the reasons why things change
There is no point in holding on to what God has already taken
When he decides to close the doors, we cannot open it once again.
It is meaningless to continue to analyze and understand that which we can’t
When things happen around us, let us live for that moment
That is an opportunity for us to lean on the Lord for courage
Courage to face the unknown and the inevitable can be a challenge.
When we try very hard to avoid the changes that we face each time
We miss out on the lessons that we need to learn at that moment
Let us trust that the Lord is in control and his plan is always for the best
Let us embrace all that is uncomfortable and painful in life’s challenges.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think humans have a hard time with changes and challenges in life?
• Why do we tend to understand and analyze situations instead of accepting it and moving on?
ECCLESIASTES 8 ALL IS WELL WITH THOSE WHO FEAR GOD
September 24
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ECCLESIASTES 8
10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. – Ecclesiastes 8:10-13
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ECCLESIASTES 8 ALL IS WELL WITH THOSE WHO FEAR GOD
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
In this corrupt world, we will experience all kinds of evil
There will be oppression being done to the poor and helpless
Discrimination of all kinds based on wealth and race are rampant
The wicked hate those who love the Lord and suppress them.
All those who love the Lord and fear him, be encouraged
For God promised the crown of life to all those who love him
Your suffering may seem hopeless, but take heed, God sees all things
He will never allow his children to be defeated by all of Satan’s schemes.
You may wonder why the wicked prevail in their unrighteousness
Or why the good deeds of the righteous are hardly recognized
The deceivers and religious may seem to be honored and respected
But in God’s eyes, their deceptions will not be unnoticed but be punished.
All is well with those who fear God for they are assured of eternal life
But all those who create havoc and evil on others will be in Sheol
Do not be distressed all who fear the Lord; Jesus died to save you
Let your trust rest in all his promises and always have your minds renewed.
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REFLECTION
• What did Solomon mean in verses 12-13 when he presents the difference between those who fear the Lord and the wicked?
ECCLESIASTES 8 WHEN YOU OBEY AUTHORITY
September 23
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ECCLESIASTES 8
Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. 2 I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. 3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. 6 For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. 7 For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt. – Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
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ECCLESIASTES 8 WHEN YOU OBEY AUTHORITY
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
When God created humans, he made him stewards of his creation
Men were given authority over the other creatures that he fashioned
But because of disobedience, that authority was displaced and twisted
No longer can man automatically obey, he follows his own nature instead
God is a God of order while Satan is the author of confusion
The Lord designed mankind to follow his commandments.
These laws protect humans so we can live in peace and harmony
Without obedience there’ll be much chaos, conflict and anarchy
It is wise to obey God’s commands so his promises can be fulfilled
If you love the Lord your God, you will also obey those in command
All of God’s appointed leaders were chosen by our Lord who is All-knowing
When we don’t obey those in authority over us, we are defying God himself.
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REFLECTION
• In John 14:15, God commands us to obey him as proof of our love for him and in Romans 13:1, he also says that everyone must submit himself to all governing authority for God himself established such authority. How come some people
twists obedience to authority according to their own perceptions?
ECCLESIASTES 7 PLEASING GOD BREAKS BONDAGES & SNARES
September 22
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ECCLESIASTES 7
21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? 25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
– Ecclesiastes 7:21-29
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ECCLESIASTES 7 PLEASING GOD BREAKS BONDAGES & SNARES
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
When God made mankind, he designed them to be upright like him
Man was created to be in relationship with God and bring him glory
But evil came into the picture that enticed man to be wicked instead
Since the fall, our uprightness was compromised and we easily rebelled.
Human nature became evil that we broke off our relationship with the Lord
This broken relationship brought forth God’s wrath to the world
But God loved us so much that he solved man’s unrighteousness
He sent his own Son for the appeasement of his anger over our wickedness.
Man tends to follow his nature but in Christ, he can once again please God
To fear the Lord instead of giving in to our sinful nature is the way out
Stop pleasing yourself. Instead, please the Lord and hell’s door will be shut down
It will break all bondages to rebel and be sinful if you cling to Jesus.
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REFLECTION
• In verse 29, Solomon reminds us of the original design of humans by God, why does mankind desperately want to change that design?