March 27, 2025 · 9:00 pm

Blessings

18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor–this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20  

This chapter closes with a simple command to enjoy God’s blessings and be thankful to Him. God is the source of all our wealth and material blessings. Without Him, we would have nothing.

Being content requires us to focus on what God has done for us. We should give thanks each day for the litany of blessings He has bestowed upon us. He is worthy of all our praise. Hear the words of the psalmist.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Psalm 100:4

Tony French

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March 20, 2025 · 9:00 pm

Riches

10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes? 12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. 13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. 14 But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a severe evil– Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? 17 All his days he also eats in darkness,

Ecclesiastes 5:10-17

Money doesn’t always equal peace in this world. Some of the richest people on planet earth are constantly worried and anxious. While the Bible never expressly condemns wealth, Christians are given warnings about trusting in riches in the Holy Scriptures. (Matthew 6:18-34 & 1 Timothy 6:10) God’s people should trust in God and God alone.

Solomon was one of the most affluent individuals in history. He had the money and the time to pursue every worldly allure. Here, he dispels the myth which permeates human thought that money can buy contentment. “If I only had more, I would be happy” is how this thinking is shared in our day. However, the King tells us “not so fast my friend.”

We need finances to live in this world. There is nothing wrong with having money or possessions. Nevertheless, Solomon advises against placing trust in wealth. Why? Because wealth doesn’t satisfy us and it requires much energy to oversee. We will leave all of our money behind. Trust in the Lord, Child of God.

Tony French

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March 13, 2025 · 9:00 pm

Wealth

8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. 9 Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

Solomon now moves to a general discussion of generosity and wealth in these final verses of chapter 5. Once again, he notes the oppression of the poor and the corruption of the justice system of his day. And once again, these observations are extremely applicable in our day.

Corruption, greed, and mistreatment of others are rampant in our society. Daily media regularly showcases instances of oppression. Things surely haven’t changed much.

Our task as Christians is to fight injustice wherever we can. Let us not excuse it but root it out when we have the chance. As the prophet Amos stated in chapter 5:24, But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.

Tony French

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March 10, 2025 · 9:00 am

GRACE

One aspect of Christianity that separates it from virtually all other faith systems is the way God bestows His grace on us. Someone once described biblical grace as “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Such a description is applicable indeed. We receive the best that God has through the sacrifice of Christ.

Jesus paid the debt so that we could be free. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin so that we could reconciled to God. Jesus endured the horrors of separation so that we would never be separated from God. God’s grace is amazing indeed!

I pray that you will be encouraged from the Scriptures with these thoughts about God’s amazing grace.

Psalm 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Romans 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

Tony French

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March 6, 2025 · 9:00 pm

Promises

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed– 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-7

Another warning is given in these verses. The basic premise is this—when you make a promise, keep it. Breaking a promise is sin before God. Meaningless promises dishonor God and lead to his discipline.

Jesus, himself would give similar warnings about worship and promise-making in the gospel of Matthew. Consider Jesus’ words from this Scripture…

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Matthew 5:33-37

Tony French

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March 4, 2025 · 9:00 am

Thankful

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 

Psalm 100:4

We are commanded to be thankful as Believers in Christ. Thankfulness is not a suggestion, it is a command. How can we grow in thanksgiving? How can we increase in giving thanks to God? Try these three steps.

**Realize your blessings. Take a moment each day and realize just how much God has blessed you. Take a look at your material blessings, your physical blessings, and your spiritual blessings. Write them down and take inventory of God’s goodness. This first step will put you on a path of thankfulness as we become cognizant of the bounty God has heaped upon us.

**Focus on what you have been given. Too often we focus our hearts upon the things we don’t have. God’s has blessed us mightily, but, we tend to focus our minds on what we have missed. If you desire to grow in thankfulness, focusing on God’s blessings will help you to comprehend the goodness and grace of God.

**Make thanksgiving a daily part of your prayer life. As you pray each day, give thanks. Paul tells us we are to make our requests known to God “with thanksgiving.” (Philippians 4:6)  Praying with thanksgiving to God for His goodness multiplies our “thanksgiving quotient” as we grow in Christ.

Try these steps this week and it will make a difference. Let us strive, as Christians, to make Thanksgiving more than a season or a day. May we seek to make thanksgiving a way of life every day!

Tony French

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February 27, 2025 · 9:00 pm

Careful Worship

1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. 2 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3

Worship and generosity occupy Solomon’s musings In Ecclesiastes 5 as he considers life on this planet. This passage is filled with warnings and exhortations. Let’s take these seriously as we study this week’s lesson.

The first warning from the preacher deals with our worship. He exhorts us to be careful in how we approach and worship God. Evidently, many words and large-scale activities do not make for true praise. Worship is always a matter of the heart first. Prudence and wisdom are needed for effective adoration.

The same warnings apply to us. Worship can become mindless and routine if we allow it.  Our goal should be to come before God with longing and yearning to worship. Let us not allow our praise to denigrate into mere songs, words, and deeds which have no meaning. May our hearts, minds, and souls be engaged as we worship the one, true God.

Tony French

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February 24, 2025 · 9:00 am

Gracious God

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.

Psalm 145:8

As we study God’s Word, we find much encapsulated within this particular verse. This writing tells us something of the nature and character of God. What does it say to us?

**God is Gracious

God grants to us gifts and blessings which we do not deserve. He loves us when we are un-loveable. And He calls to human beings everywhere to repent and receive salvation.

**God is Compassionate

He doesn’t cast us aside and He continually seeks relationship with us. God is much more compassionate than we are. When our compassion wanes, God’s compassion is just beginning.

**God is Patient

God is “slow to anger.” He patiently waits and pursues, at the same time, those who are far from Him. This is not to say that God never becomes angry, for we know He does and rightfully so. Yet, His patience and longsuffering are astounding and wonderful to behold.

**God is Merciful

When we repent and trust Christ as our Savior, God graciously forgives us and spares us from what we truly deserve. His wrath was poured out upon Jesus. Therefore, He is just in mercifully keeping us from eternal separation from Himself and granting to us eternal life. (John 3:16)   Mercy tells us that God withholds from us what we truly deserve.

Friend, you are blessed!

Tony French

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February 20, 2025 · 9:00 pm

Anxiety

13 Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more. 14 For he comes out of prison to be king, Although he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun; They were with the second youth who stands in his place. 16 There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king; Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:13-16

Characteristic 4—Power Does Not Bring Peace

Solomon concludes this portion of text by reminding everyone of the meaninglessness of human power and authority. God does raise up leaders and He ordains human governments. But, power and prestige do not bring lasting peace and joy.

Only Christ can bring these gifts to us.

Kings come and go and kingdoms will ultimately cease. To trust in human power and authority is a foolish venture. It is certainly “vanity and vexation of the Spirit.”

There is more to the story. The good news of the gospel tells us that Jesus entered into “life under the sun.” The Word of God teaches us that Christ lived for our righteousness, died for our sins, and was raised again on the third day. And that all who believe in Him and trust in Christ shall be saved.

It is life in Christ that brings ultimate joy, peace, and hope. Life under the sun is helpless, senseless, and totally unfulfilling. Life in Christ gives us God’s presence, God’s power, and God’s promises. Life on this planet does not have to be dull and monotonous. Through Christ, we can have strength, love, and abundance. As Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “thanks be to God who gives us the victory.”

Tony French

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February 17, 2025 · 9:00 am

Love One Another

“Love one another.” (John 13:34)  This command is given 15 times in the New Testament. Over and over again, we, as Believers, are commanded to love one another. It is one of the most oft-repeated directives in all of Holy Scripture.

We should love one another because Christ first loved us. (1 John 4:19)  Jesus’ love was shed abroad through His life, ministry, death, and resurrection. He loved us when we were far from Him. (Romans 5:8-11)  Therefore, we should love one another as God has loved us. Christ’s love for us should serve as an impetus for loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let us also love one another because it reflects the character of God. The Scriptures teach us that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8)  Love is not optional if we desire to accurately reflect the truth of God as we seek to minister and witness to the lost. Our love for one another is a most powerful “proof” that we are in Christ. (John 13:35)  People can argue with many things. But, they can’t argue with our love for one another when it is portrays the nature of God.

We ultimately love one another because it is commanded by the Word of God.  The command is clear and direct. If we are Christians who take the Scriptures seriously, we must love our fellow believers.

Yes, we are called to love all people. Learning to love all people begins with learning to love our fellow Christian. It is not always easy, but, it is always worth the cost.  Will you make a commitment to grow in your love for one another today?

Tony French

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