Today’s YouTube video: https://youtu.be/Y71r-T98E2Q?si=PW2aON_wPYhhV6c0
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Three are better than one
As in our children’s message and images below:
One strand is not enough to lift the weight, yet with the help of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the weight is easily lifted!
Ecclesiastes 4
Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness
4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.
2 And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.
3 But better than both
is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
5 Fools fold their hands
and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
This chapter continues with the theme of finding meaning in a very broken world. It begins by analyzing how the strong take advantage of the weak. It’s an issue and question that people still explore today. In fact, Solomon concludes, like Job, that in many situations it is better to be dead than to suffer through life. This is especially telling considering that in chapter 3 he explored the uncertainty of what happens after death.
But, as we read in the New Testament, obedience to God is the ultimate form of purpose. Solomon has landed on an essential truth that is discovered by anyone who has chased after meaning and purpose. True satisfaction in this life cannot be achieved. It can’t be bought or even earned. It only occurs through obedience.
So, in the end, we can conclude that obedience to God is greater than achievements. In the same vein, relationships are greater than accomplishments. It is interesting to consider that the method by which the Pharisees (and some people today) find purpose and meaning is through their works. Jesus shattered this theory and then invited us into a relationship. Not only that, He provided the means for us to walk out that relationship with total obedience. So, we can understand how relevant Solomon’s questions are for us today. We can also see how Jesus has come to show us a better way!
https://www.biblestudytools.com/galatians/2.html#google_vignette
Galatians 2
Paul Accepted by the Apostles
Book Summary
Galatians is sometimes called “a short Romans” for its similar themes of justification and sanctification through faith. A group of Christians known as “Judaizers” were preaching a gospel of legalism, rather than grace. Paul’s main purpose in writing the letter to the Galatians was to reiterate the true nature of the gospel: we are justified (made righteous) and sanctified (made more Christlike) through our faith in Jesus Christ alone. This letter was probably written shortly before the church elders in Jerusalem issued their official refutation of the Judaizers, commonly called the Jerusalem Council.
Chapter Context
In Galatians 1, Paul defended himself in order to defend the trustworthiness of his message. He made the case that he was a legitimate apostle. He shows in Galatians 2 that the other apostles stand with him in teaching the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ. He describes a moment in which he rebuked Peter for hypocrisy and then makes the case that only faith in Christ can bring justification for any person in the eyes of God. The works of the law can never make anyone righteous, or Christ would not have had to die.
