Women in the Word

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6/29/2016 9:18 am  #31


Re: Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

3:9 What gain has the worker from his toil?
What do I hope to gain by my work, personal pride, accolades, success, or money? Am I defining my value based on my accomplishments, ability and intellect?
 
3:12-13 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man.
 
We worry about so much and we allow ourselves to be distracted by so many things, concerns, desires, and disappointments. But, we need to find joy in our daily work and provisions and take pleasure in what God has given us and what we do.
 
3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
3:14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.
 
From Matthew Henry:
We must wait with patience for the full discovery of that which to us seems intricate and perplexed, acknowledging that we cannot find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end, and therefore must judge nothing before the time.
 
We are to believe that God has made all beautiful. Every thing is done well, as in creation, so in providence, and we shall see it when the end comes, but till then we are incompetent judges of it. While the picture is in drawing, and the house in building, we see not the beauty of either; but when the artist has put his last hand to them, and given them their finishing strokes, then all appears very good.
 
Application
I need to focus on God and fear Him knowing that He is unsearchable, unchanging, enduring, and we cannot control Him. His will is eternal and unalterable.
 
So who am to and I and why would I question Him, or seek my satisfaction from any other, or not obediently serve Him?
 
This is the appropriate and right time and there is a purpose joyfully accept this time and place where God has me and not long for another or grow weary of doing good.
 
From Workbook:
I have seen believers around the world praising God in shanties. Americans wonder how they have such joy when they have so very little. Perhaps they have discovered that the gift of food, drink and work is enough and it is we who feel the need to keep running after every pope dream. We lack joy and the time to do good to others.
 
GMG Discussion Questions
How are you practicing the pleasure of food, drink and work in your life? What do you need to change?
 
Need to take pleasure in my work even when it is something I am not interested in. Need to discipline myself to work when I don’t feel like it, or when I am tired or sometimes a bit sick.
 
Share something in your life that God has made beautiful through time.
I have seen others go through very difficult times and it has hurt my heart to see this. I want to learn the lesson that when or if I have that type of painful or difficult time that I can see the beauty of it the midst of hard or painful work.

 

6/30/2016 6:57 pm  #32


Re: Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

3:16-17 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.
 
This is so true in our society. But we do need to remember that God is in control and judgment and the establishment of righteousness is in His time.
 
The Bible says God’s goodness makes Him delay His return because He desires that more people would know Him. He is giving more time for people to come to faith.
 
3:18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.
 
So we would see our own sin and therefore understand our need for God. That we would understand the temporary nature of our life and meaninglessness of our life so we would turn to God for eternal value, meaning, and purpose.
 
GMG Discussion Question:
What is your lot or portion in life? What work has God called you to, in this season of life? How can you experience more joy in the present?
 
My life is really pretty good I just get hung up on the things I had hoped would happen and how I had envisioned my life. I need to look around and be grateful for where I am in life and not hold onto what I had wanted. I think by keeping my perspective and accepting God’s blessings and not asking for different ones that I can experience more joy. I need to be present and stop thinking about what could be or what I wish would be.

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6/30/2016 7:25 pm  #33


Re: Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 4:1-8

4:1 Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.
 
I see this so often as well. And there is so much corruption in our society. Our saw our government take money from middle-class tax payers to line the pockets of their wealthy friends. I am talking about actual fraud not differences in political policy. There is a bunch of backroom dealing and unethical behavior going on and they are making the citizens pay for it. They are transferring money from the citizens to themselves. (Note, I am not engaging in class warfare and have nothing against the rich and am very conservative. And I am not implying all rich people are oppressors, I am speaking of a very specific group of people who are committing fraud.)
 
This is so wrong and I think how can they get away with using everyone? And I know in other societies people are oppressed far worse than this; especially believers.
 
4:6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
 
Be content with what you have instead of chasing after meaningless things in this world.
 
Better to have less but have peace in life than to spend your life chasing after possessions and wealth.
 
1 Timothy 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
Love this verse will have to add it to my meditation and memory verse list.
 
Oh that I would focus on just being godly and content.
 
From the workbook:
If we are not satisfied today, what makes us think we will be satisfied tomorrow.

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7/04/2016 9:47 am  #34


Re: Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 4:9-16
 
John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
 
We have the Holy Spirit revealing God’s will to us; we know God.
 
Have you made Jesus your friend? He is savior – yes, He is Lord – yes, at least growing in that. Is He friend? Sometimes it I easy to forget that part. Jesus is a friend and brother. He is always with us.

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7/04/2016 9:47 am  #35


Re: Ecclesiastes

Week of July 4
This Week’s Reading Assignment

S.O.A.K. any verse of your choosing.

Monday
Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
Good Morning Girls: Introduction to the Week
Verse of the Day: Matthew 6:24
Optional GMG Discussion Question:
Do you have a dream? What is it? Have you asked God what His will is for that dream?
Before entering the house of God, how do you prepare yourself for corporate worship?

Tuesday
Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:8-20
Verse of the Day: 1 Timothy 6:10
Optional GMG Discussion Question:
Have you inappropriately sought prosperity? What has been your attitude about prosperity? Do you think prosperity guarantees a happy and satisfied life? What simple things do you enjoy in life?
Do you enjoy the simple things in life? Why or why not?
 
Wednesday
Reading: Ecclesiastes 6:1-12
Verse of the Day: John 6:35
Optional GMG Discussion Question:
Are the people around you “happy?” What do you see the world chasing after? Has any of their thinking crept into yours and in what ways?

Thursday
Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:1-13
Verse of the Day: 2 Timothy 4:7
Optional GMG Discussion Question:
Have you ever begun something that did not end well? What happened and what did you learn from your experience?

Friday
Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:14-29
Verse of the Day: Ecclesiastes 7:19
Good Morning Girls: Devotional Video
Optional GMG Discussion Question:
Are you overly sensitive to what others have said about you? Who in your life needs grace because of something they have said negatively about you?

Last edited by TBG (7/05/2016 12:01 pm)

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7/04/2016 10:07 am  #36


Re: Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

5:1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.
 
Listen! How often we talk and talk and ask and ask. Sure, we should pour out our heart in earnest and candor, but then we need to also worship and listen and focus on God’s truth, Word and glory. We need to set our heart on Him to please Him not always to meet our needs on focus on ourselves.
 
5:2-3 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.
 
We need to be judicious in our speech.
 
5:6 Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?
 
Do we take God lightly? Do we say we will start or stop something? We cannot in our own strength seek God, or please God. We must crucify our flesh and strengthen the Spirit within us by feeding the spirit man and let God do the work of changing us as His Spirit takes more and more control.
 
5:7 For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.
 
A multitude of dreams and many words is meaningless, vanity – fear God!  I need to have a quiet mind and satisfied heart.
 
GMG Discussion Question
Do you have a dream? What is it? Have you asked God what His will is for that dream?
 
You know my dream was foster parenting and to be a Mom and homemaker. I want to nest in my home. On the surface, this is not a bad dream. One would even say it is a godly, Biblical dream for we are called to care for the orphans. However, even with good things, we still need to ask what God’s will is for us specifically. Since this has been so much in flux lately, I have started saying, you know God whatever You will. But if I had had that attitude earlier I would not have had such disappointment and hurt. Now, I am finally at the point of saying, “whatever you have God, that’s cool.”
 
Before entering the house of God, how do you prepare yourself for corporate worship?
I do not usually prepare myself and you know I enter church rushed and stressed from rushing to be on time. The worship usually refocuses me and help me to calm down and focus on God. But how much more would I be able to worship completely and fully focused on God if I started church not distracted and needing worship to focus me. What if I started worship with a quiet heart already focused on God.
 
Maybe I should make the effort to get up earlier so I can have just a few minutes of quiet prayer, worship and meditation before I head off. We shall see….

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7/05/2016 8:00 am  #37


Re: Ecclesiastes

I have had many dreams in my life but the one that stands out the most is the one that I dreamt about for many years and I prayed God would make it happen and I knew exactly how it needed to be. Then one day, I finally said I give up, I prayed to God only this time I told him I was done, if this was how he wanted it to be then so be it. And very soon after that my dream was answered....not exactly how I thought it should be but it was answered, the way God said it should be. It is tough sometimes to let go and let God have his way but in the end that's the only way.

I too used to come rushing into Church in a frenzy and struggled to get focused. I was recently asked to be our Sunday School Superintendent which meant I have to be in the church office during Sunday School. This has actually been a blessing, I am now at church on time ready for my worship and fully focused on God.

 

7/05/2016 12:09 pm  #38


Re: Ecclesiastes

Stephanie wrote:

I have had many dreams in my life but the one that stands out the most is the one that I dreamt about for many years and I prayed God would make it happen and I knew exactly how it needed to be. Then one day, I finally said I give up, I prayed to God only this time I told him I was done, if this was how he wanted it to be then so be it. And very soon after that my dream was answered....not exactly how I thought it should be but it was answered, the way God said it should be. It is tough sometimes to let go and let God have his way but in the end that's the only way.

So true, often God is waiting for us to align ourselves with Him and to surrender to His will. When our hearts and spiritual growth are in the right place, then He is ready to work.

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7/05/2016 12:31 pm  #39


Re: Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 5:8-20

5:10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
 
It reminds me of the quote you hear about one of the early uber-wealthy industrial capitalist, like Rockefeller or someone like that. One of the wealthiest people to ever live and very powerful. Someone asked him how much more money he needed be satisfied, he said, “a little more.”
 
Is it not like that in our society. We always want a little more. It does not matter how much God has blessed us, always a little more.
 
5:12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.
 
Sometimes the nicer the things we have, the less peace we have. We are worried about things getting stolen or damaged. We spend time, money, and worry trying to protect our possessions instead of enjoying them; this is vanity, pointless!
 
This verse shows finding satisfaction from work itself, not necessarily the degree of gain from the work, but satisfaction in honest work accomplished.
 
5:16 This too is a grievous evil: As everyone comes, so they depart, and what do they gain, since they toil for the wind?
 What gain is there for those who toil or worldly gain?
 
5:20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.
They have an eternal perspective and focus on the eternal and so find joy. Colossians 3:1-4, Ephesians 1:3.
 
In the workbook, Courtney says, “It is horrifying to see inside the house of a person who has held onto useless possessions.”
Ultimately everything is a useless possession.
 
She also says, “holding onto useless possessions often destroys lives.” I see people go to great extremes to hold onto their homes and the things they have treasured over the years. But this destroys their joy and peace as they get so hung up on them. They lose their joy because they cannot let go of these possession and do not have proper perspective.
 
Discussion Questions
What gifts are stated in verse 18-20?
Satisfaction in our work and food; satisfaction in wealth and possessions as well when it is viewed as a gift from God and our hearts do not crave and value it more than we value true eternal treasure; joy in our work; joy and gladness of heart.
 
Do you enjoy the simple things in life? Why or why not?
I do have satisfaction in mundane work like house work, even laundry and cleaning etc. I feel good when I see the results of my work and my orderly clean home and when I feel like my husband can enjoy his home and his needs are met. It makes me feel good.
 
Ironically, I don’t always find enjoyment in my employment. I do when I am working on project that I like and am interested in. But when I work on things that are not interesting to me I really have a pity party, “oh, I am so unhappy in this job, I don’t want to do this anymore, etc.” Kind of absurd.
 
Maybe this is a good wake up call for me to have proper perspective and find God’s joy in all my toil.
 
Have you inappropriately sought prosperity? What has been your attitude about prosperity?
 
I actually have been good with this. My husband and I have voluntarily not pursued more financial prosperity to pursue quality of life, life experiences and relationships. But I still have issues with consumerism like many people in the U.S. I want new floors in my house, new countertops, another car. etc. We have no debt and I don’t shop compulsively with tons of shoes, purses, etc. So maybe I may not struggle as much as the average U.S. citizen, but I still do find I want more things than I need.
 
What simple things do you enjoy in life?
 
Honestly, I enjoy a hot bowl of savory soup, stew or beans. I actually do stop to feel gratitude for this yummy, satisfying food. I enjoy the view of the sunrise from my deck, the sunset from my bedroom window, watching the squirrels, rabbits and birds run around my yard and the occasional wild turkey or deer, sitting on the porch swing with my husband on a cool summer night, resting my head on my husband’s chest and curling up under his arm, watching the fireflies in the trees at night, looking at the gorgeous mountains and river from the stands of our minor league baseball stadium, talking and laughing with friends, and I had a blast playing board games with the last foster kids to stay with us, the youngest girls waking up in the morning and climbing into bed with us where we would read and then plan breakfast, having breakfast with my mother when she was in town, cooking in the kitchen with my mom, talking with my sisters, seeing my nieces and nephew grow up.

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7/06/2016 9:04 am  #40


Re: Ecclesiastes

I too enjoy simple things. I love to spend time with my daughter watching movies and playing games. "Girls day" as she calls it. I also enjoy sitting on my back porch listening to the birds and I enjoy going shopping with my mom, which neither of us usually buy much but we browse the stores and enjoy lunch together. Its not so much "shopping" as it is our way of spending time together. I had to laugh when you said you enjoy doing housework because my husband thought I was crazy when he had several days off and decided to clean the house and I asked him not to. I enjoy cleaning my house, its a peaceful time for me, time when I do a lot of thinking and reflecting and talking to God.

As for prosperity, my husband is into investing and he would probably invest every penny we made if he thought he could. Our house is our only debt and we definitely live within our means, we have developed the attitude that you don't need more money you need to do what you can with the money God has provided. So we save our money then when we want something, like new floors or new furniture, we have the cash to buy it. I have to admit though, I struggle with not buying shoes and purses every time I go into a store. I have always been a sucker for those things. But I have done much better over the years. I have come to realize that they only make me happy and satisfied for a short time and then I want more, so I turn to God instead and I get long term fulfillment.

 

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