Doing ____________ things brings more satisfaction that doing ____________ things.

It's easy to forget God in the middle of life's ____________.

[Ecclesiastes 12:1-3, 6] Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, "Life is not pleasant anymore." [2] Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. [3] Remember him before your legs--the guards of your house--start to tremble; and before your shoulders--the strong men--stoop. Remember him before your teeth--your few remaining servants--stop grinding; and before your eyes--the women looking through the windows--see dimly. [6] Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.

So many things are competing for our _________________.

[Psalm 103:2] Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

We need find ways to remember God's _________________ and ____________________ in our lives.

[Deuteronomy 8:18-19] Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. [19] "But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.

Don't _________________ that God made a way.

[Mark 11:9-10] Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, "Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! [10] Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!"

We should remember to _________________ and _________________ God in our lives.

[Mark 15:11-14] But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. [12] Pilate asked them, "Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?" [13] They shouted back, "Crucify him!" [14] "Why?" Pilate demanded. "What crime has he committed?" But the mob roared even louder, "Crucify him!"

Don't _________________ God on one day and _________________ Him the next?

Hypocrite (Greek: hypokritēs): an ______________ under an assumed character; stage player. Impersonator. Pretender.

[Ecclesiastes 7:1-3] A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. [2] Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies--so the living should take this to heart. [3] Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.

________________ shapes us more than ___________________.

[Ecclesiastes 9:2-4] The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don't. [3] It seems so tragic that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. That is why people are not more careful to be good. Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway. [4] There is hope only for the living. As they say, "It's better to be a live dog than a dead lion!"

Life is _________________ and death is ___________________.

[Ecclesiastes 6:12] In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?

Death should be a motivation for us to use our ______________ effectively.

[Ecclesiastes 10:8-9] When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. [9] When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax.

[1 Corinthians 15:50] What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

Death is God's way of giving you ________________ life.

[1 Corinthians 15:54-57] Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory. [55] O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" [56] For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. [57] But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even in death Jesus gives us ________________.

[Matthew 6:19-20] "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

Our legacy isn't in the ________________ we gain but in the difference we make.

[Matthew 7:1-5] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. [3] “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? [4] How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? [5] Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

[Ecclesiastes 2:12-13] So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). [13] I thought, "Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness.

Human _____________________ has its limits.

[Ecclesiastes 1:16-18] I said to myself, "Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them." [17] So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. [18] The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

There's a difference between _____________________ wisdom and _____________________ wisdom.

[1 Corinthians 3:19-20] For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, "He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness." [20] And again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless."

The accumulation of worldly wisdom is ________________.

Wisdom is seeing _______________ from God's perspective

[Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV] Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

True wisdom is simply _____________________ God in every area of our life.

[Proverbs 1:7 NIV] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Wisdom is not just about _____________________ what is right; it's about _____________________ that knowledge.

[James 1:5-7] If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. [6] But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. [7] Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

[Matthew 6:1-4] “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. [2] When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. [3] But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. [4] Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

It seems like the more we _________ the less we _______________.

[Ecclesiastes 6:9] Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless--like chasing the wind.

The gift isn't in the ____________; it's in the ___________.

[Ecclesiastes 5:18-20] Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. [19] And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life--this is indeed a gift from God. [20] God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

If I’m not satisfied with what I _________ I’ll never be satisfied with what I _________.

Contentment isn't found in _________-sufficiency but in _________-sufficiency.

[Matthew 20:8-12] "That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. [9] When those hired at five o'clock were paid, each received a full day's wage. [10] When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day's wage. [11] When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, [12] 'Those people worked only one hour, and yet you've paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.'

The secret to combat discontent is __________________.

[Philippians 4:11-13] Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. [12] I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. [13] For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Contentment isn't found in what you HAVE it is found in _____________ alone.

[Ecclesiastes 6:6-9] He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else--well, what's the use? [7] All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. [8] So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others? [9] Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless--like chasing the wind.

[Luke 5:16] But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

[Ecclesiastes 3:1] For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Life isn't random _______________, it's a series of _______________.

[Ecclesiastes 3:2-8] A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. [3] A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. [4] A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. [5] A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. [6] A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. [7] A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. [8] A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

Every season has a _______________.

We can't control what _______________ to us but we can control how we _______________.

[Ecclesiastes 3:11] Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

Our goal isn't to _______________ the season but to _______________ God in it.

[Psalm 31:14-15] But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, "You are my God!" [15] My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.

God can turn our _______________ seasons into our greatest _______________.

[Psalm 62:5-6] Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. [6] He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.

We need to yield to God's _______________.

[John 16:33] I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."