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July 18 - Evening
"Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may
come upon the land.
If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well."
- Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 |
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| Nothing is For Sure So Use All Your Opportunities |
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Since there are so many options that we cannot control combined with the fact there is so much we do not know we don’t want to miss an opportunity.
Solomon tells us we do not know:
- The disasters that may come upon the land
- The path of the wind
- The works of God
- What will succeed
Because of these unknown variables in life Solomon gives us two pieces of advice:
- First, Diversify your investments (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2)
- Second, Be Diligent in the things you invest in (Ecclesiastes 11:3-6)
There are several interesting verses and colorful ways that Solomon expressed these truths.
11:1 – Solomon had many ships that sailed to many countries for trade (1 Kings 9:26 and
1 Kings 10:11 and 1 Kings 10:15 and 1 Kings 10:22). Solomon was exporting grain. The old, familiar
KJ translation of 11:1, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days,”
is a reference to loading grain into ships for exporting. But, Solomon is not loading one ship, but “ships”. And, not sending them on one water, but “waters” which refers to several seas. This is nothing more than Solomon saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” Why?
Since you don’t know what is going to happen, you should not count on just one thing.
11:2 – Solomon advices us to invest in as many as seven or even eight ships all sailing to different ports on different seas. |
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“We cannot avoid bringing our culture to church with us; it is a part of our very being. But in the light of tradition we need to sort out those cultural influences that contribute to the integrity of Christian worship from those that detract from it.”
– Frank C. Senn |
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Irenaeus (126-203 AD)
• Native of Asia Minor
• As a youth he had seen and heard Polycarp in Smyrna.
• He mentioned Papias frequently and must have known him.
• Became bishop of Lyons, Gaul (Spain) when the bishop died during persecution.
• Lyons was a missionary church of Asia Minor.
• Lived in Lyons during the persecution of 177.
• Took a letter to the Roman bishop Eleutherus from the confessors.
• Roman Bishop Victor was compelling the Asian churches to celebrate Easter on a different date.
• Irenaeus tried to protect Asian churches from the Roman Bishop’s pretensions and aggression.
• Roman Bishop Victor cut them off from communion.
• Irenaus said earlier Roman bishops did not demand agreement on this issue.
• Irenaus appealed to other bishops for support.
• Irenaus was martyred under Emperor Septimius Severus. |
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Pleroo (Gr) – fill up (Eng) – the Greek word pleroo means “to make full” and “to fill up.”
Things can be pleroo such as:
A city in Acts 5:28 - Jerusalem was pleroo with the disciples' teaching
A building in John 12:3 - the house was pleroo with the fragrance
A net in Matthew 13:48
Paul’s needs in Philippians 4:19 - "God will supply every need of yours..."
People can be pleroo:
Believers are pleroo by Christ in Ephesians 1:23 - "his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."
And, again in Colossians 2:10 - "you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority." |
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The tomb and partial remains of the last Hasmonean King, Antigonus, has been found and identified in a suburb of Jerusalem, the Givat Hamivtar district. The discovery included an ossuary, inscription carved into the wall and skeletal remains of a decapitated person with iron nails in each of the hand bones (a third nail was
present in the burial remains.) This matches the historical account of Antigonus' capture by Herod the Great in 37 BC, his flogging recorded by Dio and his decapitation by Marcus Antonius recorded by Josephus. (See details HERE, HERE and HERE. Photos HERE and HERE.) |
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I will diversify my efforts, my work and my investments.
I will diligently follow up on my efforts, my work and my investments.
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"A man's spirit sustains him
in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?"
- Proverbs 18:14 |
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Improved understanding of love |
Testimony to
the Power of God |
Judiciary decisions |
Iraq |
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| Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening. |
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