InPerspective

Ecclesiastes 8
The epistle of James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” – and that wisdom from God will impact the way you relate to those in authority over you. What does the example of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego teach us about the relationship of God's people with civil magistrates and governing authorities?

Ecclesiastes 8
1 Peter 2 tells us to fear God, and honor the king.” This is a good summary of the theme we will explore today in Ecclesiastes chapter 8, which urges us to honor the king, fear God, and seek wisdom. What does Ecclesiastes 8 teach us about our biblical responsibilities as Christians before our governing authorities and civil magistrates?

Colossians 1:15-20
There is one place that Jesus should never have in your life – second place. Join Dr. Harry Reeder on InPerspective as he examines a hymn of praise from Colossians extolling the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

Ecclesiastes 7
Life without God can lead to two paths – unrighteousness and self-righteousness – and both promise what they simply cannot deliver. Immorality may thrill and invigorate for a time but always takes a toll in the end. Self-righteous moralism focuses on mere external behavior, but fails to account for the necessary component of internal righteousness which is always corrupted by our sinful hearts.

Ecclesiastes 7
Life without God can lead to the path of immorality – but it can also lead to the path of moralism that can be just as fruitless and destructive. The way of self-righteousness is paved with merely external, ethical rule-keeping divorced from the necessity of a regenerate heart, and mere human willpower and outward behavior can never set us free from a sense of ultimate vanity and meaninglessness.

Ecclesiastes 7
The chaos and unpredictability of life produces fear – fear of life's unexpected curveballs, fear of not measuring up, fear of our potential failure. We try to fence in our lives in a way that gives a false sense of control. But the only way to deal with life's chaos and unpredictability is the Gospel, as we trust the God who sent his Son into the world's chaos to rescue a people for Himself.

Ecclesiastes 7
Ecclesiastes chapter 7 addresses the inevitable chaos and tragedy of life, and the vanity of our feeble attempts to smooth out the bumpy unpredictability of life in a broken world. Some people – even in the church – try to cope with uncertainty and tragedy by denying it altogether. How can we realistically and biblically deal with the chaos and unpredictability of life under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 6
You can have a life filled with everything that men desire and strive for – and yet tragically, still have an empty soul. Life apart from God inevitably leads to dissatisfaction, disappointment, and emptiness. The only answer to this vanity and futility is found in the words of Jesus: “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Colossians 1:8-14
Have you ever tried to pray for other believers but struggled to know just how to pray for them? Join Dr. Harry Reeder on InPerspective as he shows us how the apostle Paul's prayer for the Colossians is an excellent model for how we can pray for our fellow Christians

Ecclesiastes 6
Have you ever tried to grab the wind? It is futile; you have no control over it for it blows where it wishes. Solomon's verdict on life under the sun apart from God is that it is vanity and emptiness, like striving after the wind. Life under the sun is emptiness, futility, dissatisfaction, disappointment, and meaninglessness – unless you live for the One who made the sun and is above the sun.