For Reading and Meditation:      Ecclesiastes 7:2-10We continue looking at the rest of Solomon's comparative proverbs. Third, "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting" (v. 2). Remember, wisdom always sees beneath the surface of things. Solomon means that you are more likely to come face to face with reality in a funeral parlor than a restaurant. And being unwilling to face reality is to be ill-prepared for dealing with life. Fourth, "Sorrow is better than laughter" (v. 3). Really? Yes, really. After a quick laugh, it's amazing how what we laughed about is so easily forgotten. It's not the same, however, with sorrow. Fifth, "It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke than to listen to the song of fools" (v. 5). We much prefer to listen to a song that's making its way up the charts than to listen to a rebuke, but in the long run the rebuke will do us the more good. Sixth, "The end of a matter is better than its beginning" (v. 8). The way things end is reality. The whole picture is on display. Fantasies are over; truth is all that can be seen. We ought to learn from that and be more realistic in our projections and aims. Seventh, "Patience is better than pride" (v. 8). Are you one of those who prays: "Lord, give me patience ... and give it to me right now!"? Beneath a patient spirit is a groundswell of wisdom. Pride pushes wisdom aside, and when that happens, then it is easy to play the role of a fool.My Father and my God, I have gathered some wisdom on my journey through life, but now I pray for the kind of wisdom that is greater and sharper than all earthly wisdom - Your wisdom. Make me a wise person, my Father. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." (v. 9)

Look at David's Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the end? He sits at his Father's right hand, expecting until his enemies be made his footstool. "As he is, so are we also in this world." You must bear the cross, or you shall never wear the crown; you must wade through the mire, or you shall never walk the golden pavement. Cheer up, then, poor Christian. "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." See that creeping worm, how contemptible its appearance! It is the beginning of a thing. Mark that insect with gorgeous wings, playing in the sunbeams, sipping at the flower bells, full of happiness and life; that is the end thereof. That caterpillar is yourself, until you are wrapped up in the chrysalis of death; but when Christ shall appear you shall be like him, for you shall see him as he is. Be content to be like him, a worm and no man, that like him you may be satisfied when you wake up in his likeness. That rough-looking diamond is put upon the wheel of the lapidary. He cuts it on all sides. It loses much-much that seemed costly to itself. The king is crowned; the diadem is put upon the monarch's head with trumpet's joyful sound. A glittering ray flashes from that coronet, and it beams from that very diamond which was just now so sorely vexed by the lapidary. You may venture to compare yourself to such a diamond, for you are one of God's people; and this is the time of the cutting process. Let faith and patience have their perfect work, for in the day when the crown shall be set upon the head of the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, one ray of glory shall stream from you. "They shall be mine," saith the Lord, "in the day when I make up my jewels. " "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. "

This timeless classic from Charles Spurgeon will help to both start and end your day with wonderful insight into God's Word.

Charles Spurgeon's Morning & Evening

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." - Ecclesiastes 7:8

Morning Devotional

8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Ecclesiastes 7:8

 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 400 years. The King James Version present on the Bible Gateway matches the 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.

OT: Masoretic Text, some LXX and Vulgate influence.
NT: Textus Receptus, similar to the Byzantine text-type; some readings derived from the Vulgate.
Apocrypha: Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 KJV

Ecclesiastes 7:8 KJV

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