Posts Tagged: ‘Ecclesiastes’

And The Rest

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2026]

All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest.
Ecclesiastes 2 v23 [NIVUK]

We have all, at some time or another, had the experience of lying awake when we want to be in the land of Nod. Sleep eludes us, to be replaced by persistent worries or mental gymnastics beyond our daytime capabilities; our only consolation is that we are not sharing the experiences described by the Lord Chancellor in ‘Iolanthe’.[1] Even Job started to lose his patience:

I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.
Job 3 v26 [NIVUK]

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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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War and … more war

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during February 2026]

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound;
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
Habakkuk 3 v16 [NIVUK]

This week sees the fourth anniversary of the start of the Russian ‘special military operation’ in eastern Ukraine. Like so many events that initially capture the world’s attention, this conflict has slipped from the headlines as other events claim the focus. Nevertheless, the daily cycle of death and destruction continues and, on this fourth anniversary, it is appropriate to revisit some thoughts originally shared in March 2022.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Stone, Wood and Nails

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during December 2025]

Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
Ecclesiastes 10 v9 [NIVUK]

At the time that these words were written those two tasks were part of the regular routine for many people. To put it in terms that are relevant to us, there is risk and potential danger even in our ordinary daily activities.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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A Mid-term Appraisal

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during November 2025]

Could do better … should try harder

Were you one of those pupils whose end-of-term reports included one or other of those statements, or even both? How did you react?
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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You Must Remember This

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during November 2025]

November starts with a period of remembrance – first we remember a guy who efforts came to naught and then we remember those whose efforts were instrumental in protecting and maintaining the freedoms that our society values.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Much Encumbered

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during October 2025]

I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
Philippians 3 v8 [KJV]

It is surely no coincidence when a word of Scripture fits our plans or experiences. When Charles Spurgeon chose to quote that verse when writing his series of daily reflections[1] he had, of course, no idea about what I would be doing some 160 years later but nevertheless the verse did turn out to be appropriate.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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