Times and Seasons

October 27, 2012

“A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build.” Ecclesiastes 3:2-3The meaning of the above verses is transparent: In this changing world, nothing stays the same. We move from one thing to another: from joy to sorrow, from war to peace…

Each Precious Moment

October 26, 2012

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1Missionary friends in Nigeria have observed that there are great differences in how Africans and Americans view time. For the Westerner, time is to be managed, obeyed, and strictly observed. We spend large amounts of time planning for th…

Pray for Our Asia Teams

October 25, 2012

In just a few hours, we will have two KBM teams on the way to Asia. We ask for your prayers for both teams…

Are You on God’s Side?

“To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gather­ing and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 2:26Verse 26 reminds us that there is a moral government in the universe. G…

Learning to Enjoy Life

October 24, 2012

“A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” Ecclesiastes 2:24-25Twice in verses 24-25 Solomon speaks of “finding” satisfaction and “finding” enjoyment. He then in­forms us that …

God’s Cure for Anxious Care

October 23, 2012

The foundation of gratitude is the expectation of nothing.

Passing the Baton

October 22, 2012

“I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 2:18-19It turns out that Sol…

Temporary Advantages

October 20, 2012

“Then I thought in my heart, ‘The fate of the fool will over­take me also. What then do I gain by being wise?’ I said in my heart, ‘This too is meaningless.’ For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!“ Ecclesi…

Am I Wise or Foolish?

October 19, 2012

“I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.” Ecclesiastes 2:13-14Sergei Nikolaev, pastor of the Temple of the Gospel in St. Petersburg, Russia, knows Billy Graham well…

The Turtle on the Fence Post

October 18, 2012

“Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?” Ecclesiastes 2:12 I’m sure Solomon felt pressure from both sides on the issue of kingly succession. On the one hand his father was David, who quite frankly was a better man than h…