Here is Today's Message

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 NLT LRB

Approaching God with Care

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.

Don't make rash promises, and don't be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are her on earth. So let your words be few.

Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

When you make a promise to God, don't delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him.

It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it.

Don't let your mouth make you sin. And don't defend yourselves by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.

Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead,

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-6 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up.

"This is amazing," Moses said to himself. "Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it."

When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am!" Moses replied.

"Do not come any closer," the LORD warned. "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.

I am the God of your father--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

1 Samuel 15:17-23 And Samuel told him, "Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel.

And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, 'Go and completely  destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.'

Why haven't you obeyed the LORD? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the LORD's sight?"

"But I did obey the LORD," Saul insisted. "I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else.

Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."

But Samuel replied, "What is more pleasing to the LORD; your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshipping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."

Proverbs 20: 24-25 The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?

Don't trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost.

Proverbs 10:18-22 Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool.

Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.

The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless.

The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.

The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.