Song of Solomon 1:1-4:16; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 22:22-23 We begin Song of Songs today. It is a book focused on the beauty of marital/romantic love.We have a tendency as individuals and as a culture to do one of two things with romantic love. The first and predominant view is the Disney perspective. It is to conceive of romance as the pinnacle of love. It is to think that o...  Read More

Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 22:20-21 What gives our lives meaning and value? Is it the number of our accomplishments, our many possessions, or the size of our bank account? Today’s scriptures challenge us to examine what gives our lives true meaning and significance.The writer of Ecclesiastes comes to the end of his quest to find true meaning and value ...  Read More

Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18; 2 Corinthians 7:8-16; Psalm 48:1-14; Proverbs 22:17-19 Solomon continues in Ecclesiastes by looking at life from a strictly earthly perspective. Viewing life as only our eighty or so years on earth, there are certainly things which are more enjoyable than others. It is better to have a happy marriage than one filled with conflict, it is better to have money than to live in p...  Read More

Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 22:16 Solomon spends most of Ecclesiastes discussing where to find meaning in life. Since this is one of the key themes in the book, it is vital that we understand what he means by "meaninglessâ€. This word is found 33 times in Ecclesiastes and only four other times in the entirety of the Bible. It is clearly the central purpose ...  Read More

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 22:15 Ecclesiastes is a great book for our time. One of the main issues that it addresses is finding meaning in life. We will join Solomon as he tries to discover meaning and purpose. He begins the book by exploring everything on earth to see if discovery can be found there. In doing so he will look in the very same places that o...  Read More

Job 40:1-42:17; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 22:14 Despicable! My cousin disgustingly utters “des-pi-ca-ble†emphasizing every syllable when a game move places her at a disadvantage.This is where we find Job when God, after demonstrating His power and omnipotence as Creator, pauses and lets Job humbly whisper, “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth†(4...  Read More

Job 37:1-39:30; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 22:13 There may be days when you feel like throwing in the towel. This could be due to frustration, lack of sleep, depression, or any number of other things. When we face this seemingly impenetrable obstacle how do we move forward?  2 Corinthians 4 and 5, and Job give us some encouragement.Paul tells us that we must “fix our eyes” on...  Read More

Job 34:1-36:33; 2 Corinthians 4:1-12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 22:10-12 My father, a strong athletic man, could do 100 pushups in his 70’s. Mid-70’s he was struck with Lewy body dementia. Within a year of the hint of his symptoms, he was dead. One day he said, “I feel like I am losing my mind”; and he was. He started stumbling and falling hard. Quickly, he progressed from walking with a cane, to a w...  Read More

Job 31:1-33:33; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 22:8-9 What does it mean to be righteous? Often when we think of a righteous person we can think of someone aloof, unapproachable, and super-spiritual. On the other hand, when Job describes a righteous person in chapter 31 it is in connection to relationships and thus someone who is living out the great commandment to love God and other ...  Read More

Job 28:1-30:31; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 22:7 It is very easy for our emotions to lead our lives. We can allow our feelings to drive our actions rather than allowing facts to rule us. There is a great visual of a “fact-faith-feeling train” (googling it might help you see what I am trying to describe) which shows what God wants to rule our actions. God desires that we place ou...  Read More

Job 23:1-27:23; 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 22:5-6 Job continually expresses his feeling that God has abandoned him. He feels like God is distant and cries out “If only I knew where to find him.” He wants to meet with God but doesn’t know how. You have probably felt this way at some point--feeling like despite your prayers and attempts to call out to God, he is unhearing and d...  Read More

Job 20:1-22:30; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 22:2-4 Job and Zophar debate whether the righteous and unrighteous get what they deserve on earth. Zophar argues that the wicked always suffer; their joy is brief, and their wealth vanishes. They will experience "the full force of misery" here and now.  Job says that the exact opposite is often true. The wicked live long, healthy lives...  Read More