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Today’s Devotional – December 9th

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Almost All Is Vanity!

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Part 2

To read Part 1, click here…April 22nd (Almost All Is Vanity (Meaningless)!, Part 1)

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In his classic conversion story, “Grace Abounding To The Chief of Sinners”, author, John Bunyan made this observation about people: Bunyan marveled to see elderly people in the marketplace, busily buying trinkets and knick-knacks, as if they were in denial of the fact that they were soon to die, and be forever removed from life.

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John Bunyan by Thomas Sadler – 1684 – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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ALL IS MEANINGLESS!

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In his last “swan song” letter, Ecclesiastes, King Solomon made this observation, as he looked back on his own life… “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.” Ecclesiastes 1:2-4

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In this above passage, the Wise Man throws up his hands in self-disgust, as he finally realizes the meaninglessness of life! He looks back at all his earthly riches and glory, and upon all his empire-building, and finally understands that soon it would all come tumbling down, and return to the earth, from whence it came!

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“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher…all is vanity (meaningless)!”

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Dore – Solomon – Proverbs – Wikipedia – Public domain

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A VERY IMPORTANT BOOK!

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The little book of Ecclesiastes is often scorned and even sometimes dismissed as merely being the work of a man, and not of God! But the fact is, Ecclesiastes is a very important work of God! This is because Ecclesiastes “tells it like it is”, as the saying goes! Yes, Ecclesiastes puts this hopeless world in its rightful perspective!

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And what is the rightful perspective, in which this world deserves to be in? Completely hopeless! Absolutely futile! Totally meaningless! A waste of time!

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And why such a dismal report card for a world with so many “wonderful and interesting” things to do?

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Listen… “There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.” Ecclesiastes 1:11.

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As this above verse proclaims, the former things of the world, have mostly all been forgotten. And the things to come will eventually be all forgotten as well!

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“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher…all is vanity (meaningless)!”

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Dore – Solomon – Proverbs – Wikipedia – Public domain

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“ALL WE ARE IS DUST IN THE WIND!”

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As John Bunyan observed the elderly buying knickknacks, as though they were going to live for hundreds of years more, so too are we today! We live our lives as if we are going to live for hundreds of years. We accumulate goods, and houses and lands, and spend most of our life trying to keep them from crumbling back into dust! 

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We get excited about various subjects of interest, not realizing that they are, as a songster once sang, merely “dust in the wind”!

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We perfect our game, only to see our physical and mental abilities eventually diminish!

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We spend countless hours trying to build our little empire, incognizant that before long, a strong wave of some personal tragedy will wash away our castles made of sand! 

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“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher…all is vanity (meaningless)!”

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Sand castle, Cannon Beach by Curt Smith – cropped – wikimedia – share-alike license

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ALL IS FORGOTTEN!

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We take pictures of ourselves and friends and places we went, and they get thrown into a box, or maybe even carefully placed in an album: in spite of the fact that our grandchildren would someday toss them all into the garbage (if time would have lasted!)

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We desire to live to be a hundred years old, not even aware that it would probably be total misery to live such a long life in pain and misery, and probably even loneliness!

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We enjoy this cornucopian super-society, with all its luxuries and abundance, in a world in which starving children are eating animal feces, just to stay alive!

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We get all excited on New Year’s Eve, as we see the ball drop, in Time Square, totally oblivious that 150,000 people around the world have just slipped into their graves that very day, and another 150,000 will go down tomorrow!

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We drive down the boulevard, whistling a carefree tune, unaware of all the loneliness, sickness, misery, heartache and dying, which is going on behind the closed doors of the houses we happily pass by!

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Yes, John Bunyan was right! And so was Solomon! “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher…all is vanity (meaningless)!”

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Still Life With A Skull & Hour-glass – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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ONLY ONE THING HAS MEANING!

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But both Bunyan and Solomon knew, amid all the hopelessness and meaningless of this deceitful world, there was one thing that has real meaning!

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Yes, high on a hill, there is standing a Cross! And that Cross has been placed there by a loving God, who only wants the inhabitants of this hopelessly dying world, to look up, as if to see the One who gave His life, so that you and I might live!

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Yes, everything else in this vain life has no value at all! Because all will return to the dust! “All we are, is dust in the wind”, as the singer sang!

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But that Cross on Calvary will never crumble into dust and blow away! No, it is the everlasting symbol of hope, which only shines more brightly with each passing century of time!

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And those who are willing to turn away from all the meaningless trinkets and tinsel-like treasures of this tiny ball of dust called Planet Earth, and turn to that one thing which truly has meaning, will live forever!

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And God is going to create a New Heaven and a New Earth.

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And He will wipe away all tears from every face!

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And we will live in an everlasting world in which every thing, big or little will have true meaning!

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The River Of The Water Of Life by H. Melville – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TO READ PART 3, CLICK HERE…

DECEMBER 9 (Almost All Is Vanity! Part 3: It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!)

Mad world poster – Wikimedia – Fair Use Rationale

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Make me to know the shortness of life. Let me not be like the flower that clings to the earth. But let me become a follower of Jesus, as He leads His people on that upward, Heavenward sojourn…

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Flower of the Field Constellation” or you can also read… “Flower of the Field Constellation: Part 2-”All is Vanity””

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

 

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

 

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“THE GLORY OF MAN,

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AS THE FLOWER…

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FALLS AWAY”… 

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1st Peter 1:25 

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Wilted Rose – wikimedia – public domain

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FLOWER OF THE FIELD IN HEAVEN

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This is perhaps one of the most amazing constellations that God has created! It truly looks like a flower, and appears to be blowing in the direction of westward. But as autumn draws near, this constellation appears to bow itself down, just like the flowers of Earth bow down, at the summer’s end.

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And these are not merely obscure stars. These are among the biggest and brightest stars in the night heavens!

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The Two Turtle-Doves Constellation is also known as Sagittarius .

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The Flower of the Field is commonly known as Scorpio .

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But there is another obvious aspect to this constellation group. Notice that the birds are flying in the same direction as the flower is bending; it is as if the east wind is blowing these heavenly messengers…

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“The wind blows where it desires, and you hear the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it comes, and where it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8.

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So here is another incredible Bible concept, written in the heavens! And God has spoken of these signs! Listen… “For ever, O LORD, Thy Word is settled in heaven.” Psalm 119:89

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ABOVE STAR-CHART: Flower of the Field Constellation commonly known as Scorpio – seen in spring through summer (Flower drawn in over Wikipedia star-chart)

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THE ZODIAC CONSTELLATION NAMES

By the way, it is not the purpose of www.theheavensdeclare.net to give any validity to the Zodiac or any pagan deities. But the common names of many constellations must be given, solely for the purpose of locating them on star-charts.

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READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Flower of the Field Constellation”

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TOMORROW…

“December 10th (December 10(Jacob’s Trouble, Part 2: Apocalypse Now!)”

.Jacob – Wikimedia-US – Public-Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

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THIS IS STUDY #341 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

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Click on image credit links below each photo, for licensing names, details, and tags, etc.. Most Images cropped & reduced in size.>