Steve Webb: But then he talks about a better alternative.
Well, hello there. This is the Lifespring family Audio Bible
coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since
2004. I'm your OG God cast her Steve Webb. This is the daily
show where we're reading through the entire Bible in a year and
today is poetry. Thursday, we'll read Ecclesiastes three and
four. I've gotten on this date in church history. And I'm
calling today's episode to our better than one show notes page
for today's episode is at Lifespring media.com/s 12. E
290. Would you like to send me an email? Oh, good. Send it to
Steve at Lifespring media.com. Let's begin.
Ecclesiastes chapter three. There is a right time for
everything. And everything on earth will happen at the right
time. There is a time to be born at a time to die. There is a
time to plant and a time to pull up plants. There is a time to
kill at a time to heal. There is a time to destroy at a time to
build, there is a time to cry, and a time to laugh. There is a
time to be sad, and a time to dance with joy. There is a time
to throw weapons down and it's time to pick them up. There is a
time to hug someone at a time to stop holding so tightly. There
is a time to look for something and a time to consider it last.
There's a time to keep things at a time to throw things away.
There is a time to tear cloth, and it's time to sew it. There
is a time to be silent, and a time to speak. There is a time
to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war, and a
time for peace. Do people really gain anything from their hard
work? I saw all the hard work God gave us to do. God gave us
the ability to think about his world. But we can never
completely understand everything he does. And yet he does
everything at just the right time. I learned that the best
thing for people to do is to be happy and enjoy themselves as
long as they live. God wants everyone to eat, drink and enjoy
their work. These are gifts from God. I learned that anything God
does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to
the work of God, and they cannot take anything away from it. God
did this so that people would respect him. What happened in
the past has happened, and what will happen in the future will
happen. But God wants to help those who have been treated
badly. I also saw these things in this life. I saw that the
courts should be filled with goodness and fairness, but there
is evil there now. So I said to myself, God has planted time for
everything. And he is planted time to judge everything people
do. He will judge good people and bad people. I thought about
what people do to each other. And I said to myself, God wants
people to see that they are like animals, the same thing happens
to animals and to people, they die. People and animals have the
same breath is a dead animal different from a dead person. It
is all so senseless. The bodies of people and animals in the
same way they came from the earth and in the end, they will
go back to the earth. Who knows what happens to a person spirit.
Who knows if a human spirit goes up to God while an animal spirit
goes down into the ground. So I saw that the best thing people
can do is to enjoy what they do, because that is all they have.
Besides, no one can help another person see what will happen in
the future.
Ecclesiastes chapter four. Again, I saw that many people
are treated badly. I saw their tears and I saw that there was
no one to comfort them. I saw that cruel people had all the
power. And I saw that there was no one to comfort the people
they hurt. I decided that it is better for those who have died
than for those who are still alive. And it is even better for
those who died at birth because they never saw the evil that is
done in this world. Then I thought Why do people work so
hard? I saw people try to succeed and be better than other
people. They do this because they're jealous. They don't want
other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It
is like trying to catch the wind. Some people say it is
foolish to fold your hands and do nothing. If you don't work,
you will starve to death. Maybe that is true. But I say it is
better to be satisfied with a few things you have than to
always be struggling to get more. Again, I saw something
else that didn't make sense. I saw a man who has no family
natesan or even a brother. But he continues to work very hard.
Well, beloved, these two chapters, while not entirely
He is never satisfied with what he has. And he works so hard
inspiring seem to be a little less hopeless sounding than the
first two, don't you think? There's a lot to think about
here. But in our limited time, I'd like to focus for just a
that he never stops and asks himself, why am I working so
moment on chapter four. Halfway through that chapter, Solomon
talked about the man who works so hard, he has no family, no
hard? Why don't I let myself enjoy my life. This is also a
son, or even a brother. And he said that this is a bad and
senseless thing to do. No disagreement there, right. But
very bad and senseless thing. Two people are better than one.
then he talks about a better alternative. The next four
verses explained that Two are better than one and three are
even better. And like Solomon here in my older years, I've
When two people work together, they get more work done. If one
learned that this is indeed true. My dad was very much a
loner, he was what we call a self made man. And he worked
person falls, the other person can reach out to help. But those
literally seven days a week until he got too old to work. In
all of my childhood years until I moved out of the house at the
who are alone, when they fall, have no one to help them. If two
age of 21. He probably took no more than a total in all that
time, have a month off work for a very few short vacations. It's
sad. He did pretty well for himself financially, but he was
people sleep together, they'll be warm. But a person sleeping
never rich. But for a guy who barely finished the eighth
grade, he did, okay. He had a difficult childhood. And when I
alone will not be warm. An enemy might be able to defeat one
was a boy, he taught me that friends would always let you
down, and that it's better to keep people at arm's length.
Don't let anybody in, do things on your own. Don't ask for help
person, but two people can stand back to back to defend each
figure things out yourself, be your own man. Well, it wasn't
until many, many years later that I found out just how poor
other. And three people are even stronger. They are like a rope
that makes you. Even if you do have a lot of money. And when my
dad died, he had no friends at his funeral. Nobody there but my
that has three parts wrapped together. It is very hard to
mom, my sister and her three kids, my wife, my kids and me to
mourn him. Now my father in law was the exact opposite of my
break. A young leader who is poor but wise is better than a
dad. He was a giving and warm and caring, loving man. He
worked almost until the day he died, but not because he was
trying to accumulate money, but because he barely made enough to
king who is old but foolish. That old king does not listen to
pay the bills. And he was an integral part of our church and
he was there whenever the doors were open. Literally. I can't
warnings. Maybe the young ruler was born a poor man in the
even tell you all the jobs he had at the church over the
years. Suffice it to say that if he saw something that needed to
kingdom. And maybe he came from prison to rule the country. But
be done, and it wasn't being done, he jumped in and did it.
And everyone loved and respected rip Collins when he died, there
I have watched people in this life. And I know this, people
was not an empty seat in the church nor a dry eye in the
house. Rip Collins died a rich man, not financially, but in
every other way. I have no doubt that when he met Jesus, he heard
will follow that young man, he will become the new King. Many
a hearty, well done good and faithful servant. My father in
law knew that it's better to be with people than to go it alone.
people will follow this young man, but later those same people
There's no virtue in being a self made man if you close out
the world in the process. Have you known somebody like that?
will not like him. This is also senseless, it is like trying to
Either way, let me know if Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 290.
Tomorrow is prophecy Friday. We're in the Minor Prophets and
Zephaniah is the next in line. Here's your cue to boost.
catch the wind.
On this date in church history, June 30 1315, Raymond Lola's
banished mystic was martyred. He devoted his life as a missionary
to the Islamic people. He first traveled to North Africa in
1291. And on this date in church history 1629 The settlers of
Salem, Massachusetts appointed Samuel Skelton as their pastor.
Their church covenant composed by him established Salem as the
first non separating congregation appeared in church
in New England.
Let's pray shall we? Our heavenly Father, Lord, help us
to keep a balance in our life between work and friends and all
the other things that clamor for our attention. Of course, you
should always have the preeminent place but even then
we sometimes get that messed up to, Lord please forgive us when
we do. But these days, so many of us have trouble prioritizing
things properly. We need your help Lord, be with the
Lifespring family today. Bless them and meet their needs. I
pray this in Jesus name, amen. If you have a prayer request or
a praise, go to prayer dot Lifespring media.com and fill
out that form there. I'll pray for you in my private prayer
time, and we'll pray together on the show.
Comment on the show at Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 290.
Send me an email at Stiva Lifespring media.com. Thanks to
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Lifespring media.com/support. Until tomorrow may God bless you
richly My name is Steve Webb spend time with your friend. Bye