Ministry is a Joy
Few things are more contagious than cheerfulness. A wise leader has a cheerful disposition—what’s your leadership style?
Few things are more contagious than cheerfulness. A wise leader has a cheerful disposition—what’s your leadership style?
In Ecclesiastes 8, wisdom is personified in the life of “the wise man.” These principles can be applied to today's leaders.
In this paragraph out of Solomon's journal (Ecclesiastes 8:10-17) we find the wise man, hoping to balance idealism with realism.
None of us know the future. It’s beyond our control. But what we can control is how we will be remembered. What will your legacy be?
How do we handle the mysteries? What do we do with those unsolved questions? How do we live in the realm of untimely pleasure? Chuck has three suggestions for us.
We want mysteries to be solved. But God is sovereign—and He has His own answers and purposes. The proper perspective on mysteries allows us to place our trust and hope in God, regardless of whether or not He reveals the answer to us.
The terms wise and wisdom appear more than 30 times in the last six chapters of Ecclesiastes, and the concept is interwoven through most of the paragraphs…sometimes in a subtle manner, other times boldly. We’ll see these benefits personified in the life of “the wise man,” portrayed by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 8:1–9.
Just when you think you have everything planned perfectly...something happens to change everything. It’s a good reminder that none of us know what the future holds. There’s a bigger plan unfolding...God’s plan.
Death and sudden disaster are realities we must face. We can’t escape them, no matter how strong or clever we are. What’s needed in these situations is to apply quiet wisdom and acknowledge God’s sovereignty over our lives.
The pursuit of success can drag you down and lead you away from God’s Word and Spirit. Only by stepping away from life’s rat race will you begin to experience real success and satisfaction on God’s terms.