Tag Archives: hope

Love, Justice and Our Response

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Don Merritt

I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? Psalm 101:1-2a At first this may seem to be quite simple, but … Continue reading →

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Meaningless Labors… and a Different Point of View

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 With verses 17 ff. we continue the Teacher’s warm and cozy view of our lives under the sun, this time we are talking about work. In verses 17-23, we see a very high concentration of markers making it … Continue reading →

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Wisdom and Folly

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 Our Teacher now examines wisdom and folly, and in so doing he comes to the conclusion that wisdom is better, but it only goes so far. A wise person walks in light, while a fool stumbles around in … Continue reading →

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The Pleasures of Life

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 Do you know anyone who doesn’t like pleasure? To be sure, that is a loaded question because it is not possible to say “No” to that one. Everyone likes pleasure… by definition, although not everyone has the opportunity … Continue reading →

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Much Wisom – Much Grief

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 Solomon (a..k.a. Koheleth) sets out his great quest for wisdom in these verses, but all of the wisdom that the wisest man of all time managed to collect, wasn’t worth very much. Here’s an example: Suppose you went … Continue reading →

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A Brief Introduction

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Don Merritt

As we begin our adventure through Ecclesiastes, we should set out a little background information about it. First of all, I want to be very up front with you: This book is a little tricky, so we need to be … Continue reading →

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Another Trill-packed Adventure Begins

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Don Merritt

Over the last… however many months… I’ve had the sense that the world really seems to be getting more and more crazy.  It isn’t just crazy in this country; craziness seems to be everywhere to one degree or another these … Continue reading →

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Final Greetings… and Questions

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Don Merritt

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. … Continue reading →

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Paul Gives Instruction

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Don Merritt

2Thessalonians 3:6-13 In these verses Paul pulls no punches as he gives instruction to the Thessalonians regarding Christians who are idle. A common view of this text is that people within the church became idle because they believed that the … Continue reading →

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Bonus Post: Authorship of 2 Thessalonians

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Don Merritt

Throughout the centuries, there has been some discussion about whether or not Paul really wrote 2 Thessalonians. While this discussion has been primarily in the scholarly sphere, in recent years it has grown in intensity with many coming to the … Continue reading →

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