Just as there is a season for everything, there will be a time when God will make everything right. Paul explains that truth should cause men and women to turn from their wicked ways.
Daily Devotion
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes: Injustice
Life on earth is filled with injustice, described by the Scottish poet Robert Burns as “man’s inhumanity to man.” The oppressors come with all the power. The oppressed are left with no leverage, and Solomon repeats for emphasis that they have “no one to comfort them.” There is no denying that this life is unfair.
Ecclesiastes: Love
Love demonstrates the passion for getting the right job done. To make sacrifices for others and lay down the natural pride in one’s heart. Perfect love, of course, is only found in the person of Jesus. He demonstrated his unconditional love by dying for us on the cross…
Ecclesiastes: Hope
Leaders should inspire and encourage us about a better tomorrow. They must provide vision and hope—confidence in where we are heading. “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted. It belongs to the brave,” said Ronald Reagan running for president during a time of national malaise.
Ecclesiastes: Faith
Faith is the commitment to be part of a story larger than yourself. A president must demonstrate faith in the ideals of our country and our Constitution. But the virtue of faith on a believer’s voting checklist goes deeper than that.
Ecclesiastes: Temperance
A great illustration of temperance was found in President Abraham Lincoln. After the South was defeated during the Civil War, some extremists wanted to wipe all Southerners off the map. Lincoln refused such harsh action, and in doing so, he started a healing process for the nation.
Ecclesiastes: Justice
Justice is the bedrock of a free society. We must fight against all manners of injustice. Scripture clearly states that we must care for the poor and needy, widows, orphans, and the unborn. Justice means honoring life from conception to natural death.
Ecclesiastes: Prudence
Too many leaders, or I should say non-leaders in leadership positions, are like the ones Solomon describes in today’s passage. They fall into the very pit they just dug. They know snakes hide in the crevices of a wall, yet they ignore the danger. They are hurt by the very stones they quarry and logs they split. We need prudent leaders.
Ecclesiastes: Moral Courage
As you prayerfully determine whom to vote for, here’s a question to consider: Which candidate has demonstrated moral courage? Look for a record of moral conviction even when it may have threatened his or her political career.
Ecclesiastes: Wealth – Seasons of Life
The seasons of life are threaded together by high times and hard times. The great joys that come with relationships, weddings, and a baby’s entrance into the world, are woven together with low times. Broken relationships lead to broken hearts. Death of dreams disappoints.
Ecclesiastes: Wealth and Temptation
A bribe is defined as “money or any other valuable consideration given or promised with a view to corrupting the behavior of a person.” A bribe is anything we give to persuade or induce a certain action. And money in exchange for prestige, power, and position to gain college admission or to change the outcome of a sports game (remember the Black Sox Scandal) is always tempting for some.
Ecclesiastes: God Gives Wealth
I believe that there are two big takeaways from today’s passage. First, when we mistakenly view our wealth as something we have earned rather than a gift from God, we will never truly be able to enjoy our resources. Our hearts will never be truly satisfied apart from Jesus.