Day 170: From My Reading in Ecclesiastes 1-6
Title: Deny Yourself Nothing…
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (NIV)–I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
Observation: Solomon was now old and he’s reflecting back on his days of pleasure, …

Day 169: From My Readings in Proverbs 27-29
Title: RENOUNCE!
Scripture: Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)–He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
Observation: It looks as if Solomon learned some valuable lessons from his father, King David. They both understood that prosperity was not just a term used to define one’s financial wealth, but was a term that should define one’s health. Solomon once said, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear The Lord and shun evil. …

Day 168: From My Readings in Proverbs 25-26
Title: Be A Bone-Thrower Not An Ear-Yanker
Scripture: Proverbs 26:17 (NIV)– Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.
Proverbs 26:20 (NIV)–Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
Observation: We’ve all seen it. It’s uncomfortable to be around. You try not to make eye contact, often walking by quickly acting as if you don’t see or hear anything. When …

Day 167: From My Readings in 1 Kings 9 and 2 Chronicles 8
Title: Overages…UGH!
Scripture: 1 Kings 9:11 (NIV)–King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and juniper and gold he wanted.
Observation: Solomon was in a construction mood. He had been encouraged by his father David to build the temple and alongside that he built himself a palace, his Egyptian wife a palace, and many terraces. He refortified the walls of …

Day 166: From My Readings In Psalm 134, 146, 147, 148, 149 150
Title: Re-li-a-bili-ty
Scripture: Psalm 147:10, 11 (NIV)–His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Observation: Have you ever been exhorted? Have you been challenged by a teacher, a judge, a spouse, or a pastor to change, reverse direction, or stop doing something altogether? The …

Day 165: From My Readings In 2 Chronicles 6&7 and Psalm 136
Title: A Great Use of a Soap Box!
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 6:12-15 (NIV)–Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. Now he had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel …

Day 164: From My Reading in 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 5
Title: Cloudy with a Chance of Worship
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 5:12-14 (NIV)–All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in …

Day 163: From My Reading in 1 Kings 7 and 2 Chronicles 4
Title: Jesus Is My Bath Tub!
Scripture: 1 Kings 7: 23 (NIV)– He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it.
Observation: Before the High Priest or any priest could minister before The Lord they had to be ceremonially clean. Before they entered to minister in the tabernacle or the temple they …

Day 162: From My Reading in 1 Kings 5-6 and 2 Chronicles 2-3
Title: Does Your Church Speak?
Scripture: 1 Kings 6:29 (NIV)–On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.
Observation: If you’re not into construction and you have no clue how to translate a cubit into a unit of measurement that makes sense to you, and if you struggle with imagining a building known only by a person’s words but would rather see …

Day 161: From My Readings in Proverbs 22-24
Title: In God We Trust
Scripture: Proverbs 23:4-5 (NIV) Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
Observation: Oh how we love money. We love what money can do. We love what money can obtain. We love how persuasive money can be in us getting …