Download or read book Work and Vocation through the Lens of Ecclesiastes written by Gilbert Soo Hoo and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-10-08 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “I want my work to have significance” is an often-expressed declaration. But that desire faces a shocking challenge from possibly the wisest man who ever lived, Qohelet, through his writings in Ecclesiastes. Repeatedly, he pens the word “meaningless/absurd” to encapsulate his conclusions about work and life. We cannot simply dismiss his viewpoint as that of a madman because his words are canonized in Scripture. However, a second writer, the frame narrator, emerges at the end of Ecclesiastes to complement Qohelet without totally agreeing and with a greater urgency for our duty to God as our vocation. Both writers see the complexities and incongruities that typify our labor and life. Yet, through these challenges we can still find significance when we honor our God.

Download or read book Wisdom and Work written by J. Daryl Charles and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alluring yet frustrating. Charming yet maddening. Such is our reaction to the literary wonder called Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth), a "wisdom" book that has captured the fascination of readers everywhere for over two millennia with its mix of poetry and personal reflection, its probing of the human experience and its piercing assessment of human activity--especially human labor. Its "All is meaningless!" lament, which frames the document, is well known to all. But its message and the structure of the writer's argument remain disputed, even among professional scholars. Often overlooked, when not ignored, is the relationship between joy or contentment and the fear of God. And almost universally ignored in standard commentary is the role that satisfaction in our work plays in the life of the God-fearer. Against the mainstream of biblical scholarship, Wisdom and Work argues for the presence of a double theme in Ecclesiastes. It argues that, based on the writer's literary-rhetorical strategy, two diametrically opposed outlooks on life are being contrasted in Ecclesiastes, and that meaning and purpose, not "meaninglessness," are by divine design to be the norm - a norm that infuses the daily, the ordinary, and perhaps most significantly, our work.

Download or read book Our Secular Vocation written by J. Daryl Charles and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2023-01-15 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The divide between the sacred and the secular life has dogged Christians for centuries. Even today, many Christians and church leaders still assume that the workplace is inferior to pastoring, Bible study, mission trips, and the like. This volume provides a different approach: it surveys the persistence of the sacred-secular divide in Christian history to develop a more robust theology of vocation while engaging with both the Old and New Testament. Charles offers a vision for numerous ways Christians are called to live faithfully in the so-called secular world.

Download or read book Lessons for the Christian s Daily Walk written by George Mylne and published by Darolt Books. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lessons for the Christian's Daily Walk Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes George Mylne, 1859 Editor's note: This is the best devotional commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes that we have ever come across! In each verse which he comments on, George Mylne first views the verse just as Solomon intended from the perspective of mere human wisdom. That is, the book of Ecclesiastes is simply God's record of the rational conclusions of the wisest and most experienced man who ever lived. In other words, Solomon seriously thought upon all of life, the world and everything in it and concluded that all are puzzling enigmas, emptiness, vanity, meaningless, purposeless, futile, hopeless, vexatious, unsatisfying, unjust, etc., etc. Secondly, Mylne then views each verse from the Christian perspective that is, through the lens of the cross of Jesus. From this perspective, all the enigmas are solved, all the meaninglessness and futility of life is removed, and all the injustices are rectified. Only through the cross, does life become meaningful, purposeful and satisfying!

Download or read book Ecclesiastes and the Search for Meaning in an Upside Down World written by Russell L. Meek and published by Hendrickson Publishers. This book was released on 2022-02 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This unique book combines memoir, exegesis, and theological reflection to demonstrate the ongoing significance of the book of Ecclesiastes to the Christian life in the twenty-first century. Through exegesis of Old Testament passages and theological reflections on Ecclesiastes, the author deals with issues of abuse, trauma, and forgiveness. For thousands of years, God's grace and glory have been shining in the stories and poems of broken people: the Psalms give voice to our darkest moments of pain and anger, showing us that God welcomes our rawest emotions; Ecclesiastes and Job help us confront suffering and injustice in life; and the failures of Noah, Jacob, and David help keep us tethered to the God of the Bible. These stories and poems still speak to the brokenness of humans today, beckoning us into the arms of the God who made us and loves us even though we too are riddled with sin, hurt, and a longing to be loved. By working through the book of Ecclesiastes, we can let the Teacher's words seep into our hearts and shape our understanding of who God is and how he helps us navigate this upside-down world. This short and engaging book enables us to see how one part of the Old Testament--Ecclesiastes--can help us navigate a world in which things do not always turn out as they should.

Download or read book Every Waking Hour written by Benjamin T. Quinn and published by Lexham Press. This book was released on 2016-04-25 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pastors and chaplains aren't the only ones in ministry--every Christian is called to be a minister through his or her work in the world. But in order to fully understand what this entails, we must look to the Bible and develop a fuller understanding of work as any way we interact with God's creation. Doing so may transform our view of how Sunday morning impacts our work-a-day lives--and vice versa. In Every Waking Hour, Benjamin Quinn and Walter R. Strickland develop a biblically and theologically rich view of work, vocation, and how we may glorify God through everything we do.

Download or read book Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs written by Theology of Work Project and published by . This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecclesiastes captures the toil and joy, fleeting success, and unanswered questions that we all experience in our work. Yet the book s picture of work is also deeply troubling. I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after the wind (Eccl. 2:11). But does Ecclesiastes really portray work as vanity, or is there a way to sift through the many vain ways of working to find a core set of meaningful ones? In contrast to human life under the sun, whatever God does endures forever (Eccl. 3:14). These eternal glimpses give us an understanding of the character of God, which helps us make sense of life. In any case, Ecclesiastes makes a vital contribution to the theology of work through its honest, unvarnished look at the reality of work. The Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is love poetry. Yet it is also a profound depiction of the meaning, value, and beauty of work. The Song sings of lovers who court, marry, and then work together in an ideal picture of life, family, and work. We will explore themes of hardship, beauty, diligence, pleasure, passion, family, and joy as they are depicted in the wide variety of work seen in the Song of Songs. Includes space for note-taking. These Bible studies are part of The Bible and Your Work Study Series. Each book contains Scripture references, thought-provoking questions, and prayers to help you explore what the Bible says about work and apply it to your life in positive, practical ways. The lessons in each chapter are designed for thirty-minute lunch breaks, although they can be used in other formats as well."

Download or read book E eek cclesiastes written by Joyce H. Hondru and published by Elm Hill. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As noted in the introduction of this study, I find Ecclesiastes to be an odd duck. I mean it isn’t a book filled with pearls of wisdom, like the book of Proverbs. And it isn’t a book filled with praise, like the book of Psalms. Nor, will you find it to be like many of the books in the Old Testament, which give a history of God’s chosen the people, the Israelites. And, you won’t find any major or minor prophet here either. In fact, this book, with all of the author’s laments about the meaninglessness and vanities of life, for the most part, can be downright depressing! Yet we know that all of the books in the Bible are there for a reason. So, while some people shy away from the book of Revelation because of its somewhat frightening and symbolic text and others skim over books like Leviticus, Numbers and Lamentations because of their dry, repetitive or mournful tone, I don’t want people, who love God’s word, to do the same with this book. I want my readers to see Ecclesiastes in a new light, from a new perspective. Finding a new approach was relatively simple. I didn’t consult a bunch of theological, heady books that provided someone else’s understanding of what the author, whom I believe to be King Solomon, was trying to say or was feeling when he wrote this book. Instead I simply sat down with my Bible, started reading at the beginning of chapter one and asked the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to what He wanted me and my readers to glean from this most unusual book. The title of the book, E(eek)clesiastes- How to Find Meaning in a Meaningless Life!, came to mind almost immediately. The EEK part, because of how crazy this book it, but the second part, the finding meaning part, because to me, this is the bottom line of what Solomon, consciously or unconsciously, brings to the table in this book. While he struggles throughout the entire twelve chapters of this book with life’s meaning he, through this struggle, actually reveals to us what there is in this life that does provide meaning. However, you really have to look for it. In addition, as one of reviewers of this book points out, like all of the books of the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes, is no different in pointing the way to the New Testament and thus to Jesus Christ and life eternal. She notes that I show “the reader how the books of the Old and New Testament are related, giving us a clearer understanding of what we read. By this we begin to see how it all relates to one work, the work of God through the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible.” We have all struggled with the meaning of life. Consider walking through this book as we try to unravel what that meaning might be – together.

Download or read book Useless Beauty written by Robert K. Johnston and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-12-16 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A wise old adage of faith states, 'Read the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other.' The slogan is an invitation to notice the complex engagement of faith and culture. In Useless Beauty, Johnston takes up the interface of faith and culture with specificity and immediacy. His discussion permits an instructive dialogue, whereby we read Ecclesiastes differently, and we read contemporary film with fresh eyes of faith. Neither the text nor the films can be easily dismissed as 'absurd.' Both are thickened, and we are driven deeper in our self-discernment by the process. Johnston's alertness and urbaneness constitute a model for faith that is not simplistic and a model for culture that is not thin or transparent." --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary "Johnston reads Ecclesiastes with a rich, postmodern hermeneutic--not the more common simplistic, linear, moralistic, or formulaic approach that threatens to drown Bible readers in the shallows. His reading has great value for people seeking new ways to find meaning in Scripture. Personally, it helped me weave my life experience with my viewing of film and my reading of the Bible, and it left me feeling alive and energized." --Brian McLaren, pastor (crcc.org) and author (anewkindofchristian.com) "Johnston weaves the wisdom of Ecclesiastes into contemporary narrative films and vice versa, merging theology and film into a smart and insightful dialogue to enhance understanding of both." --William D. Romanowski, Calvin College; author of Eyes Wide Open "Some of the most helpful contemporary interpretation of Scripture comes from those who look at the text with eyes other than those of the biblical scholar. Johnston's interpretation of Ecclesiastes through the lens of film is an excellent example. The text comes to life in the interaction he creates with the narratives of major contemporary movies. They in turn are better understood by the careful theological interpretation Johnston gives them through the lens of Ecclesiastes. The possibilities for preaching and teaching are obvious." --Patrick O. Miller, Princeton Theological Seminary "This book is a well-informed and sensitive example of how, in our uncertain and contradictory times, to engage film and Scripture without denying the integrity of either. It is highly recommended." --Rikk E. Watts, Regent College

Download or read book Analyzing Labor Education in Ecclesiastes written by Bible Sermons and published by Education of Labor in the Bible. This book was released on 2023-06-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book of Ecclesiastes presents us with an innovative approach to work, promoting the value and meaning that our effort has in life. Day after day, we are reminded to be diligent and appreciate all the good fruits of our labor. There is a proven deep joy when we are honoring God through the productive use of our skills and time. We want to discover how to strike the right balance between earthly pleasures and eternal satisfactions when we make careful use of the ultimate gift: Our Work!

Download or read book Work Matters written by Tom Nelson and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2021-07-08 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Work. For some this word represents drudgery and the mundane. For others work is an idol to be served. If you find yourself anywhere on the spectrum from workaholic to weekend warrior, it’s time to bridge the gap between Sunday worship and Monday work. Striking a balance between theological depth and practical counsel, Tom Nelson outlines God’s purposes for work in a way that helps us to make the most of our vocation and to join God in his work in the world. Discover a new perspective on work that will transform your workday and make the majority of your waking hours matter, not only now, but for eternity.

Download or read book Ecclesiastes written by Zondervan, and published by HarperChristian Resources. This book was released on 2006-08-13 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether used as an individual Bible study or used for studying with a group, the Nelson Impact Bible Study Guide Series will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible, book by book. Written in an easy-to-read, interesting style, each study guide will help you to experience the true meaning of the messages of the Bible, and in turn, empower you to truly make a difference in the world for Christ. Key Features Include: Timelines Fun cultural facts and probing questions Plenty of room for taking notes Biblical and present-day maps Other study guides in the series include: 1 Corinthians ISBN: 1418506192 Exodus ISBN: 1418506168 Genesis ISBN: 1418506087 Isaiah ISBN: 1418506095 John ISBN: 1418506109 Mark ISBN: 1418506184 Romans ISBN: 1418506117 Ruth & Esther ISBN: 1418506176

Download or read book Transforming Vocation written by David Benson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-05-12 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There has been an explosion of publishing in the faith-work movement in the last twenty years. Work is increasingly seen as the new frontier for Christian mission. However, the church and theological colleges have failed to keep up with the interest among, and needs of, workplace Christians. This book is the urgent corrective that is needed, moving past Theology of Work 101 to much deeper encounters with God's word as it relates to daily work. These twelve academic papers look at work through three different lenses: the workplace, the church, and theological education. It is prefaced by Mark Greene from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, reflecting on what work, church, and theological education would look like if there was no sacred-secular divide. In the concluding remarks, the editors imagine a future where each domain is transformed by the gospel, working dynamically together for the life of the world. While academic in terms of depth of thinking, quality of research, and referencing of crucial sources for further exploration, this book is never dry. Rather, it's life-giving and provocative for every vocation, asking fundamental questions of the reader: What is the work that God is calling you to do? How can the gospel transform your work? And how well-positioned are churches and colleges to be at the forefront of transforming vocation? With contributions from: Mark Greene James Pietsch Peter White Peter Docherty Gordon Preece Keith Mitchell David Fagg Ian Hussey Colin Noble Andrew Matthews Sarah Bacaller Samuel Curkpatrick Maggie Kappelhoff

Download or read book Old Groans and New Songs written by Frederick Charles Jennings and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-09-16 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Old Groans and New Songs" (Being Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes) by Frederick Charles Jennings. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Download or read book Every Good Endeavor written by Timothy Keller and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times bestselling author of The Prodigal Prophet Timothy Keller shows how God calls on each of us to express meaning and purpose through our work and careers. “A touchstone of the [new evangelical] movement.” —The New York Times Tim Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and the New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, has taught and counseled students, young professionals, and senior leaders on the subject of work and calling for more than twenty years. Now he pulls his insights into a thoughtful and practical book for readers everywhere. With deep conviction and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about work today. In fact, the Christian view of work—that we work to serve others, not ourselves—can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Keller shows how excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace can help others and even be considered acts of worship—not just of self-interest.

Download or read book Life Beyond the Sun written by Christopher Cone and published by . This book was released on 2016-12-04 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon offers a vibrantly insightful perspective on the world and life in it. He examines succinctly the futility, the emptiness, and the hopelessness of life under the sun - life apart from God. At the same time, he suggests the wonder and value of even the simplest act when performed with God and for His glory. Life Beyond the Sun considers Solomon's worldview and discusses how Solomon seems to anticipate and respond to philosophies that came after him. Life Beyond the Sun supplies a generous amount of parallels from philosophers through the ages for comparison, and addresses epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, social political philosophies, environmental ethics, the is/ought problem, the existence of God, the problem of evil, definitions of good and foundations of morality, and ultimate meaning in life.

Download or read book Proverbs Ecclesiastes written by Daniel J. Treier and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2011-07 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This commentary on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes demonstrates the continuing intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of the Bible for today's church.