Mar
08.
All Is Vanity
Category: Wisdom
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All Is Vanity. This is the echo of Solomon, as he reflected eons ago, upon life on this big blue planet. The older I get (46 yrs. Old-it’s not that old) the more I realize the immense truth of Solomon’s wisdom. Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived, and he had a vast amount of resources that afforded him the opportunity to experience all that this world could offer. But, even though Solomon could do anything he wanted, and he tried most everything, his final analysis of life on this planet was “all is vanity or meaningless”. Think about life for a minute. Our daily routine of life goes something like this; wake up in the morning, head off to work or school, come home, eat, go to bed and then do it all over again, repetitively for seventy or more years. That’s it. Throw in a few vacations, sports events, debt, doctor visits, and some entertainment, and you have the average life of a person. The mere fact that we exist and live does not give life meaning and purpose. That is why so many people who go through this daily, repetitive routine feeling so unfulfilled with their life, just like Solomon did so many years ago.
So what was his conclusion about the meaningless situation that we are born into? In Ecclesiastes 12, we see Solomon’s conclusion, “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”.
Solomon makes it very clear that the only way to experience a fulfilling life is to live intent on honoring God and pursuing His purpose. That’s it! Nothing else in life can bring meaning or fulfillment. God has a life of fulfillment, joy, and purpose for us, as we follow His plan for our lives. I encourage you to consider your daily routine and ask yourself, “Am I pursuing God’s purpose?” Pursue God intently today and every day, and you will experience His peace, goodness, and satisfaction in all you do. Spend time connecting with God in prayer, read His commandments, serve in your church with a willing heart and minister to those around you. A life with God is a life full of meaning!
-PK

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Nov
28.
Wise or Simple
Category: Wisdom
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Proverbs 27:12
A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

This verse reveals to us two kinds of people—the prudent and the simple.  Both are headed down the same path. Both “see danger” but they react differently.  And, because of this, they experiences two very different outcomes. In Proverbs, a prudent person is a wise person. Proverbs implies that a wise man or woman understands that all of life is connected. There is a cause-and-effect relationship between what he chooses today and what he experiences tomorrow. This is why wise people look as far down the road as possible when making decisions. Drawing upon the experiences of others or on their own experiences, they anticipate the future and choose wisely.

“…but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” (v.12)

Suffer for what? For turning a blind eye to the obvious. The simple suffer because they live as if there is no connection between the choices of today and the experiences of tomorrow. They overlook the fact that every decision is a path and every path has a destination. Like it or not, all decisions have consequences.

There is a point at which it becomes impossible to sidestep consequences.

If you were to ask a simple person if they believe there is connection between the choices they make today and what they will experience in the future, they would say yes. Again, it’s not that they don’t believe life is connected. The point is they don’t live as if it is. Every time you talk yourself out of exercising, you talk yourself out of a preferred future. Every time you light up a cigarette, lie to your spouse, spend money you don’t have, make the wrong people your friends and companions, you act as if today is in no way connected to tomorrow. You “see danger.” Yet instead of “taking refuge”, you “keep going.” We have all heard that experience is the best teacher.  But is it really? We have all said, “I’ll never do that again” about something. We knew what the outcome would be, but kept going anyway.

The primary difference between the wise and the simple is not what they see but how they respond to what they see. The wise see danger and take refuge.  The simple see danger and keep going. Pay attention to what’s out ahead of you. When you see trouble coming, take refuge. Change direction. Because it is the direction of your life that will determine your destination.

-PK

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Nov
15.
The Most Important Thing in the World!
Category: Wisdom
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Solomon was the wisest man in the world. He was wise in every area of human knowledge. People would travel from miles and miles to hear his counsel and words of wisdom. There really wasn’t a topic that he was not an authority on. Knowing he was the wisest man is the world, we should take special note when Solomon makes a statement like he did in Proverbs 4: 23, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Notice what he says, above all else! The wisest man in the world tells us above everything else that I have said, above all the knowledge that I can teach you, above every morsel of knowledge I can offer, GUARD YOUR HEART!

I want to encourage you today to guard your heart-life. We put priorities on so many things today like our jobs, hobbies, exercise, girlfriends or boyfriends, husbands or wives, but we neglect our heart. Solomon said our heart is above all else. I promise you this, if you will put monitoring your heart-life above everything else, all of these other concerns will fall into their proper place. GUARD YOUR HEART!

-PK

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Nov
02.
God Is WAY Smarter Than You!
Category: Wisdom
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I have learned over the years that there are many things about God’s ways and justice that are a mystery to me. There are many things in scripture I read that from a human point of view don’t seem correct. Here are just a few:

Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
My thoughts are not your thoughts. It means we think differently. God hasn’t asked us to figure why He does the things He does. We can’t. We are not capable. Our thinking is inferior to His. Let’s not think that spending a bit of time meditating on the mysteries of the universe places us on a level that allows us to call God into question. Our God is not a person who is slightly more intelligent: His thoughts are infinitely higher than ours. Knowing the gap is so large; shouldn’t we put our energy toward submitting rather than over-analyzing? It is natural-no, it is expected-that there will be times, many times, when you won’t figure Him out.
-Erasing Hell by Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle

Romans 9:19-23, “Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?” No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.

Job 2:10, But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

God is good. You must accept this by faith. Period!

-PK

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Jul
22.
Psalm 91 Part 1 by Pastor Tim Brooks
Category: Podcast
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I posted the podcast by our senior pastor Tim Brooks because I thought it was a message that every believer needs to hear. This is great stuff!!!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:57 — 37.5MB) | Embed

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