Gus Cameron

21 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 8:10-17

Gus Cameron

21 March 2026

10 Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is futile. 11 When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.
12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence. 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
14 There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.
15 So I commended the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.
16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the night— 17 I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Beck

I was watching a movie the other day with my fiancée that had a clear good guy and a clear bad guy. Normally, in movies like this, the good guy wins and saves the day while the bad guy gets what they deserve. There is always justice or a happy ending—and in the real world, that’s mostly what we want to happen in bad situations. But too often, it does not. The Teacher here in Ecclesiastes seems to have conducted an experiment on his surroundings and has discovered that, under the sun, it’s the other way around. The wicked get blessed while the righteous or blameless get nothing (verse 14). I think we still see this in our lives or around the world, and we wonder: Isn’t God just? Why hasn't he fixed this?

Sometimes, when we have those questions, God might not give us the answers straight away, or we might not fully understand what God has planned, because we are not God. But the Teacher offers some light through his investigation. He notes that the wicked and their pursuit of gain are meaningless. At the end of the day, they will face death like everyone else. But most importantly, they will have a far worse conclusion than people who put their trust in God. If they do not turn to the Lord Jesus and follow Him, they will suffer His condemnation on the Day of Judgment. While it may seem like the Lord is not at work, He still is.

There is injustice in the world, but we should be reminded that God will make things right and that His justice will prevail, when the Lord Jesus returns.

We have a God who is righteous and forgives us through His Son if we come to Him, but He is also a just God who will not let sin go unpunished. Pray and ask God to always keep you living in the wisdom of that bigger perspective.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Student Ministers.

Gus Cameron

20 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 8:1-9

Gus Cameron

20 March 2026

1 Who is like the wise man? Who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
2 Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God. 3 Do not hasten to leave his presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
5 Whoever keeps his command will come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. 6 For there is a right time and procedure to every purpose, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him. 7 Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell him what is to come?
8 As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it. 9 All this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Andy Rowlands

I so often hear and ask for prayers to ask for wisdom. Like the Teacher, we have this instinctive desire for the wisdom we need to act rightly and confidently in uncertain situations. The teacher has been pointing us toward this throughout Ecclesiastes. And here, he teaches us to act wisely in our relationship to authority—which, in his day, meant the king.

In Australia, we do not have a king or queen in the same way—King Charles’ power is delegated to our government to rule us. The Teacher wants to show us that it is wise to listen to those in power over us. That obeying the laws of our country is a good and wise thing to do, and takes away the burden of much uncertainty, if we are content to listen to those God has put in power over us. But even as we obey them, we need to remember the limitations of human authorities. They, like us, do not know what is going to come.

But every man sits under the power of a higher king, our Lord and Saviour Jesus. Even more than any government, he is the only one who truly has the authority to do whatever he pleases! In his hands are the life and death of every man, and he knows what is to come. And his are trustworthy hands to hold our lives. In this world where various men lord their powers over others, to the detriment of themselves and of others, he is the one whom we can trust to use his power for not only for his good but also for ours.

Jesus, the truly wise one, is the one whose commands are wise to follow not only because he is our ultimate king, but because he is the one who sets us free from wickedness and brings us into everlasting life with him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy is one of our Student Ministers.

Gus Cameron

19 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 7:15-29

Gus Cameron

19 March 2026

15 In my futile life I have seen both of these:
A righteous man perishing in his righteousness,
and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
16 Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
19 Wisdom makes the wise man
stronger than ten rulers in a city.
20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth
who does good and never sins.
21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you. 22 For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me. 24 What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
25 I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness. 26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.
27 “Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation. 28 While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman. 29 Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Matt Radloff

What does it look like to fear God? For the Teacher, in verse 18, the one who fears God will follow both warnings in verses 16-17. On the one hand, he warns that being overly righteous and making yourself too wise will result in you destroying yourself. On the other hand, he warns that foolishness results in an untimely end. As I read this passage, I find it easy to agree with the second warning, but I find it harder to understand the first. Of course we shouldn’t be foolish, of course we shouldn’t be excessively wicked! But why warn against being overly righteous? Surely that’s a good thing, right?

Righteousness is of course a very good thing. God tells us so throughout the Bible. But we’re warned here that if we chase righteousness out of an expectation in ourselves to be perfect, we are only bound for disappointment and crushing guilt. As the Teacher says in verse 20, “Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins”.

In a way, the Teacher is half-right. We ourselves can’t expect to be so perfect that we never sin. And if we get that wrong then we will only end up in despair. But there is one man who is an exception to the rule. One man, the righteous one, who never sinned. It’s by looking to Jesus that we see the one man who was perfectly righteous, and perfectly wise. And he was destroyed. Not crushed under his own guilt, but under ours.

For us, to fear God is to follow the warning of this passage. To realise that we ourselves can’t be righteous enough on our own. We instead turn to God and his solution. We turn to Jesus, the righteous one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt is one of our Student Ministers.

Gus Cameron

18 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 7:8-14

Gus Cameron

18 March 2026

8 The end of a matter is better than the beginning,
and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good,
and it benefits those who see the sun.
12 For wisdom, like money, is a shelter,
and the advantage of knowledge
is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
13 Consider the work of God:
Who can straighten what He has bent?
14 In the day of prosperity, be joyful,
but in the day of adversity, consider this:
God has made one of these along with the other,
so that a man cannot discover
anything that will come after him.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

A lot of the stress in my life comes when I feel like I can’t control the future. One of the big differences between us and God is that he controls the future and we don’t. Verses 8 and 9 describe two ways we ought to respond to our lack of control: with patience and without anger. Patience seems more obvious – when things aren’t going the way I want them to, I need to patiently trust that God will look after me and my family. But we’re also warned not to be angry too quickly, which makes sense when we realise that our angry outbursts are often a response to us feeling out of control. When I’ve raised my voice with my kids, it’s usually because I’m frustrated that I can’t make them do what I want them to do.

What’s the answer? Wisdom! The wisdom to realise that God is in control and we are not, and that’s ok! Verse 13 asks: “Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?” If God chooses to do something, we cannot change what he has done – and that’s ok because we know that God’s plans for us are good.

This section finishes by reminding us that we don’t know the future like God does. But God has given us a sneak peek into the future. He has shown us that in Christ Jesus we have a wonderful future with him. True wisdom is knowing that we are safe and secure in Jesus. It is resisting the pride of believing we can change our destiny, and waiting patiently for his return.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.

Gus Cameron

17 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 7:1-7

Gus Cameron

17 March 2026

1 A good name is better than fine perfume,
and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
2 It is better to enter a house of mourning
than a house of feasting,
since death is the end of every man,
and the living should take this to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke
than to listen to the song of fools.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
7 Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Verse 2 says, ‘It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.’ This sounds counter-intuitive to me! I would certainly rather go to a wedding reception than a funeral. So what point is being made here? While a wedding reception is enjoyable – and there’s nothing wrong with that – going to a funeral will teach me an important lesson that I won’t learn at a wedding reception. Going to a funeral will remind me that, like everybody else, I will die – unless Jesus returns first, but let’s leave that joyous prospect aside for the moment. Being reminded that I will die is good for me, because it reminds me that I need to be ready for that day. I need to be trusting Christ each day for my salvation so that I’m ready to meet him when I die.

It also spurs me on to make the most of each day. My days on this earth are limited, and I don’t know how many I’ve got left. So I need to make the most of each day to do the things that God has called me to do. My days are like water – a precious but limited resource. I don’t want to waste them away.

To live in denial of death is a great foolishness. Because it means you will not be prepared for death and you will be inclined to waste your precious days on earth.

Many old churches were surrounded by graveyards. Imagine if every week when you went to church, you walked through a graveyard. The message you received as you entered and as you left would be just as powerful as the one you heard in the church. I love the way Psalm 90:12 puts that message: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assisant Ministers.

Gus Cameron

16 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

Gus Cameron

16 March 2026

1 There is another evil I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily upon mankind: 2 God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a grievous affliction.
3 A man may father a hundred children and live for many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he is unsatisfied with his prosperity and does not even receive a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 For a stillborn child enters in futility and departs in darkness, and his name is shrouded in obscurity. 5 The child, though neither seeing the sun nor knowing anything, has more rest than that man, 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?
7 All a man’s labor is for his mouth,
yet his appetite is never satisfied.
8 What advantage, then, has the wise man over the fool? What gain comes to the poor man who knows how to conduct himself before others? 9 Better what the eye can see than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
10 Whatever exists was named long ago, and what happens to a man is foreknown; but he cannot contend with one stronger than he. 11 For the more words, the more futility—and how does that profit anyone? 12 For who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Verse 9 is thought-provoking: ‘Better what the eye can see than the wandering of desire.’ I take it that means that it’s better to be thankful for and enjoy what you do have rather than to be continually wanting what you don’t have.

I can see the application to friendships. Far better to be thankful for and enjoy the friendships I do have rather than always wishing for friendships I don’t have.

For the married, I can see the application to marriage. Far better for to be thankful for and enjoy the spouse you do have rather than be wishing for other romantic relationships.

I can see the application to possessions. Far better to be thankful for and enjoy what I have than to be continually striving for and wanting what I don’t have – that is a recipe for frustration.

And I can see the application to my spiritual life. Far better to be thankful for and enjoy all the blessings I have in Christ than to desire the fleeting pleasures of sin.

No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:6, ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain.’ O Lord, give us the priceless gift of contentment. Help us to appreciate and be thankful for and enjoy all you have generously given us. Take from us the greed in our hearts that is never satisfied with what it has, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assisant Ministers.

Gus Cameron

14 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 5:8-20

Gus Cameron

14 March 2026

8 If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them. 9 The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
10 He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile. 11 When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?
12 The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
13 There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, 14 or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.
15 As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands. 16 This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness, with much sorrow, sickness, and anger.
18 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life that God has given him—for this is his lot.
19 Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God. 20 For a man seldom considers the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Despite the harsh realities of life in this world which is under God’s curse, there is a route to satisfaction and joy. Verses 8-17 mention some of those harsh realities:

The powerful take from the poor.
If we love money, it never satisfies.
More wealth brings more worries and less sleep.
If we hoard wealth, it harms us.
Wealth is easily lost.
No matter how hard we work, we leave this world with absolutely nothing.

We need to accept these harsh realities if we are going to find the route to satisfaction and joy in verses 18-20. But how do we find that route? The Teacher says in verse 19, ‘Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man.’ This is more than material riches and wealth, for not everyone has those. This is the wealth of knowing God and his love and his Word. This is the wealth of his creation. We can all enjoy a cool breeze, a sunset and a tasty meal.

The Teacher goes on to say that God has enabled us to enjoy these riches and wealth he has given us. God wants us to enjoy his creation. But he also says we need to accept our lot. We need to accept that we serve God in a world under his curse so life will be difficult. But we can still rejoice in our labour. We can rejoice that in our labour we are looking after God’s creation and serving those God has given us to love.

And as New Covenant believers we can rejoice that none of our work done in serving the gospel will be in vain, as we have seen in our key verse from the Apostle Paul: ‘Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain’ (1 Corinthians 15:58). So let’s thank God for today. Thank him for our work, no matter how frustrating it is, and thank him that our efforts in the gospel are never in vain.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assisant Ministers.

Gus Cameron

13 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Gus Cameron

13 March 2026

1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2 Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.3 As a dream comes through many cares,
so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Did you notice the change of tone at the beginning of chapter 5? In chapters 1 to 4, the Teacher has been observing how difficult life is in this world which is under God’s curse because of our rebellion. Work is frustrating. Nothing lasts. Death reigns. So much seems meaningless. But in chapter 5 he moves to wise instruction. In this fallen world where nothing lasts what’s important is how we relate to the everlasting God.

And how should we relate to the everlasting God? By listening to him and then listening some more. ‘Draw near to listen’ says the Teacher. God speaks to us by his Holy Spirit as we read his word or listen to it being read or preached. But are we listening? Are we paying attention? If not, our prayers could actually be offensive to God. The teacher says, ‘Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.’ What is the sacrifice of fools? One example is long prayers that are not based on God’s Word but based only on our selfish desires.

The Teacher says, ‘Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God.’ He is not discouraging us from praying, he’s saying to listen carefully to God’s word before you pray. Pray in the light of God’s word. Then your prayers will be pleasing to God.

The reason we should do this is, according to the Teacher, is that God is in heaven and we are on earth, that is, God is King and we are his subjects. Would you barge into the boss’s office and let fly with all your complaints before you’ve tried to understand the boss’s perspective? How much more should we listen to God before we speak to him.

So, having just listened to God, keep his word in mind as you speak to him now.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assisant Ministers.

Gus Cameron

12 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 4:4-16

Gus Cameron

12 March 2026

4 I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
5 The fool folds his hands
and consumes his own flesh.
6 Better one handful with tranquility
than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
7 Again, I saw futility under the sun. 8 There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up! 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
13 Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning. 14 For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom.
15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king. 16 There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Tim Mitry

Have you seen those ads that say, “Do this to retire at 40,” or “Do these 5 simple steps to make your money work for you”? You know – the ad that promises never having to work again? At the same time, have you ever noticed that in Australia we subtly boast about doing extra hours or overtime? Our culture has a foot in two camps – we love the idea of never working another day in our life, but we also love to proudly show off how hard we work. We like to make sure we “keep up with the Joneses,” after all.

I’ve felt the pull of both of these. I’ve yearned to have 5 investment properties and be able to tell my boss, “Hey I’m not coming in tomorrow…or ever again,”, but I’ve also heard that voice inside me say, “Keep grinding the billable hours, my mates have been to Japan twice and I’ve only gone once.”

Verses 4-6 of today’s passage are pointing out that working to keep pace with the rest of society is just as empty as refusing to work at all – both are like chasing the wind. The “grind life” is nothing to brag about, but neither is disengaging from “the grind” altogether.

Many of my friends are building businesses, travelling overseas regularly, buying homes and investment properties, and filling their lives with bigger and shinier things. The author of Ecclesiastes reminds me that a peaceful life with enough is better than a life driven by endless striving for more. I am challenged to see that God created me to work – it is good for me to work! But if I worship work, or worship what it can do for me, I’ll be enslaved to it. Praise God for Jesus who offers true, lasting satisfaction, and frees me to work faithfully and contentedly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim is one of our ministry apprentices.

Gus Cameron

11 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3

Gus Cameron

11 March 2026

16 Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”
18 I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.” 19 For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. 20 All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.
21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth? 22 I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?

Chapter Four

1 Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter. 2 So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

As I read this passage, it made me think about what life would be like without God and without knowing the Lord Jesus.

First, it describes us as no better than the animals. We live and we die. We come from the dust and we’ll be buried in the ground. I remember as a child saying to my mum that we are just animals – smart animals, but just animals all the same. Except that’s not true! We are made in the image of God, we belong to him, we are precious to him – so precious that he sent his Son to die for us so that we might live with him forever. How sad is it for those who don’t know Christ Jesus, who live believing that we are nothing.

Second, it describes the injustice of this life. We know that evil and wickedness go unpunished all too often. Imagine believing that there is no justice, that evil people will get away with their evil. But we know that Christ Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. We know that there will be comfort for the oppressed when every tear will be wiped away.

This passage shows us the despair of life without Christ. It makes me so much more thankful for Christ Jesus. Give thanks for Jesus, and pray for someone who doesn’t know him, that he would rescue them from that despair.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.

Gus Cameron

10 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

Gus Cameron

10 March 2026

9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him. 15 What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

Ecclesiastes has reflected on the futility of our hard work and toil. But today’s passage reminds us that there is someone whose work is not futile: God. God’s work is good and productive and beautiful. In Genesis 1 and 2 we read about how God worked to bring creation into being, and God saw that “it was good”. After God created human beings in his own image, he saw all he had made and “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Then, after all his work of creating, God rested. Unlike us, God can work and then find complete satisfaction and enjoyment in his work.

Ecclesiastes is showing us where to find happiness. We will never find it in our own work, but we will find it in God’s work. This is most clearly seen in God’s work of salvation. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.”

Ecclesiastes tells us that God has put eternity in our hearts (v 11); but no matter how hard we work, no matter how good our works are, we cannot work our way to eternal life. But God’s works last forever, his gracious gift is to give us Christ Jesus. His work on the cross frees us to work in a new way, to serve God, doing the good work that God has given us to do.

Do you see the difference between our work and God’s work? Our hard work will always end in frustration, but God’s work lasts forever. The way to find happiness and satisfaction is come to Christ Jesus, give him your life and serve him as your Lord and saviour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.

Gus Cameron

9 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Gus Cameron

9 March 2026

1 To everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to break down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to count as lost,
a time to keep and a time to discard,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

I feel like life is busy and full of different things to do every day: making breakfast, getting the kids to school, writing a talk, opening the church hall for a tradie, picking the kids up again, driving to sport or piano, dinner, Growth Group, sleep. Then the next day it all begins again—with a different list of things to do.

This passage in Ecclesiastes describes how the days, weeks and months of our lives often feel. It describes many of the joys of life. There are times to dance and gather, embrace and laugh. But also times to weep, mourn, tear down and die.

It describes life in a fallen world, where we experience moments of deep love and joy, but also times when the right response is to grieve or hate the evil we see around us.

We cannot control the passage of time and we cannot control what events we will have to face in life. Life will be full of ups and downs. I am thankful for the honesty of this passage. Rather than pretending everything is ok, the passage gives a true and honest description of what life is like. It reminds me to trust God for my days, to depend on him on the hard days and to give thanks to him for the joyful days. I’m also thankful that we can look forward to eternity, when the passage of time will no longer be marked by highs and lows, but instead by the unending joy of being with our Lord Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.

Gus Cameron

7 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

Gus Cameron

7 March 2026

18 I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
20 So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil. 22 For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
24 Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God. 25 For apart from Him, who can eat and who can find enjoyment? 26 To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

Many of us know people who have fled warzones and arrived in Fairfield with nothing. Many of them have worked incredibly hard to create a new life for themselves, and especially for their children. They aim to instil in their children the discipline of hard work. Their hope is that their children will have a better and far more prosperous life than they themselves had.

But then I was talking to a tradesperson this week who has lived the Aussie dream. He came as a refugee, and now he runs his own business instead of working for someone else. He said he’s making a lot more money, but he also has a lot more stress in life. He works hard, but his hard work hasn’t given him peace or freedom.

Today’s passage is a sobering reflection on the futility of toilsome work. It asks: “What do we get for all our toil and labour?” – and the answer is: death. We cannot work ourselves out of death. Even the hope of leaving our kids better off is not certain, because we cannot control our kids once we are gone. They might make wise decisions, but they might not.

Work has been painful and difficult toil ever since God said to the man in the garden of Eden, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). Hard work is not the answer to life’s problems; it is a reminder of life’s greatest problem. We face death because of sin, and hard work will not overcome death.

There is work we should do – we should work to provide food and pay the rent. But there is also a type of work that will endure forever – what the Apostle Paul calls “the work of the Lord”. As we saw on Thursday, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”

Ask God to protect you from being drawn into the lie that hard work can free us from the curse. And pray that God would help you remember the joy of working for our Lord Jesus, who really has freed us from death. Ask God to help you fix your mind every day on the hope and security we have in him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Gus Cameron

6 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

Gus Cameron

6 March 2026

12 Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished? 13 And I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, just as light exceeds darkness:
14 The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.15 So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?”
And I said to myself that this too is futile.
16 For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die just like the fool! 17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

In the first devotion, I said that both Job and Ecclesiastes are balancing the perspective of the book of Proverbs. Proverbs describes the usual pattern of life in God’s world, where godly wisdom normally leads to positive results. But “normally” isn’t “always.” Job balances that by asking about unjust suffering. Ecclesiastes asks whether godly wisdom actually produces anything lasting and meaningful.

The Teacher wants to find something solid, permanent and good. But whatever path he explores along, he always runs up against the same huge obstacle at the end. In today’s passage, he mentions that great final obstacle for the first time – and it will loom larger and larger as we approach the end of the book. That obstacle is death.

Here, the Teacher makes it clear that it’s at least a bit better to be wise than to be a fool. The wise person “has eyes in his head”, while the fool “walks in darkness” – that is, wisdom will enable you to make better decisions in life.

But he comes back to the brutal reality that “one fate overcomes them both.” The wisest sage and the stupidest fool will end up in the same place: 6 feet under. On top of that, give it long enough, and everything they both did will be forgotten and irrelevant. Death is like the gigantic final boss in the video game of Life – and this final boss is impossible to defeat.

It’s hard to know how much the writer of Ecclesiastes knew, or suspected, about any hope beyond death. But what he certainly didn’t know about is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. That’s the game-changer – Jesus has smashed the final boss! And that means living with godly wisdom is not just a bit better; it’s a no-brainer. It’s the path to resurrection with Jesus and to solid and permanent joy.

Let these words from 1 Corinthians 15 fill your thoughts and your prayers now:I

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. … If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:17, 19-20)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister

Gus Cameron

5 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

Gus Cameron

5 March 2026

1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!”
But it proved to be futile.
2 I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
3 I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4 I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.
7 I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me, 8 and I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men—many concubines.
9 So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me. 10 Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
11 Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Yesterday, the Teacher considered whether having the wisdom of Solomon would enable you to do anything truly lasting and meaningful. Today he turns to consider the enormous riches and resources Solomon had at his disposal.

His conclusion is: Even having all the wealth of Solomon – or of Elon Musk – won’t give you anything lasting. Pleasures only last the few short days of our lives. You can build buildings and gardens; but they will crumble. You can accumulate mountains of money or construct a huge business empire; but one day, whether it’s before or after you die, you’ll discover it was nothing more than “a pursuit of the wind” (v 11). It was futile, meaningless, all in vain. Nothing you do “under the sun” will last.

It takes bravery to face the fact that one day, absolutely everything you are living for and trying to achieve will be dust. Well … unless you trust in Christ and are striving to live your life for him! In 1 Corinthians 15:58, after explaining the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over sin and death, Paul says: “Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

It’s sobering to reflect on our dreams and ambitions. Take some time to ask yourself some hard questions, before God, about your priorities and what you are putting all your energy and your hopes into. Remember that Jesus told us both, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,” and also, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:19, 33). Are you following a foolish path, or are you striving to live for Christ and his kingdom?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister

Gus Cameron

4 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

Gus Cameron

4 March 2026

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow,
and as knowledge grows, grief increases.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

On Monday, I raised the question of who wrote Ecclesiastes. For some people, the answer is simple: King Solomon wrote it. In verse 1, he was introduced as “the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” Here he repeats that, and also describes his great wisdom – which Solomon was famous for (1 Kings 3, 10).

But if Solomon did write it, there are some major puzzles. The name “Solomon” never appears. More puzzling is verse 12: “I, the Teacher, WAS king over Israel.” Why the past tense? Solomon ruled Israel until his death. Then in verse 16 he says, “I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem” – but there was only one Israelite king who ruled in Jerusalem before Solomon: his father David. Finally, after chapters 1 and 2 there is nothing in the rest of the book that suggests or sounds like it is Solomon – in fact, several passages sound like an ordinary man who has seen and experienced harsh treatment from kings (e.g., 5:8-9; 10:5-6).

Now, Solomon might have been “the Teacher” – that wouldn’t be a problem. But I think it is more likely that the Teacher was a much later wise man who was exploring the limits of the kind of wisdom we find in Proverbs. In chapters 1 and 2 he does that by adopting the persona of Solomon – role-playing being the wisest king in history who wrote many proverbs . If so, he wasn’t trying to trick anyone – Solomon had been dead for many years. His point was to show that not even someone with even Solomon’s famed wisdom could find anything truly lasting in human endeavours “under the sun.”

The problem with purely human wisdom is that it lets you understand what’s wrong with the world, but that doesn’t mean you can fix it! So growing wiser might just increase your sadness and grief (v 18). But God’s wisdom is not just his perfect knowledge, it is also his goodness and his power to save; and God has unveiled his saving wisdom in the cross of Jesus. That’s why Paul says that Christ Jesus “has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). Ask God to both give you the wisdom you need for life, and to rest in his far greater wisdom in Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister

Gus Cameron

3 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 1:4-11

Gus Cameron

3 March 2026

4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets;
it hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows southward,
then turns northward;
round and round it swirls,
ever returning on its course.
7 All the rivers flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full;
to the place from which the streams come,
there again they flow.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can describe;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear content with hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
and what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a case where one can say,
“Look, this is new”?
It has already existed
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance
of those who came before,
and those yet to come will not be remembered
by those who follow after.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

This guy must have been fun to be around at parties, right? Not exactly a ray of sunshine. But sometimes we human beings need a healthy dose of cold, hard reality.

Today’s passage reminded me of a conversation I had years ago in Chile. I was doing walk-up evangelism, and I got talking to a guy who had a strange mix of Catholic and New Age religious beliefs. He told me that he believed in “spiritual evolution.” Just like species evolve biologically, he believed, over the centuries humanity has also evolved spiritually, so that each generation is spiritually superior to the one before. I said to him, “Let me ask you one question: When you look at relationships between people today – from personal conflicts and divorce rates, all the way up to international relations and wars between countries – do you think the human race is any better today than it was 2000 years ago?” He said, “No, I guess not.” There goes that theory.

The Teacher’s basic point in today’s passage is: No matter how hard we try, we never really make progress. Yes, we might make advances in technology, medicine, etc. But at a more fundamental level of why we exist and what makes us human, things never change. History keeps repeating itself over and over. There are cycles of greed, abuse and moral corruption that humanity has never broken (hello, Epstein Files!). There is “nothing new under the sun” (v 9).

Except … something new did happen, centuries after the Teacher wrote this, something colossal: the Son of God rose from the dead. And that means there is one genuinely new thing that can happen in a person’s life – something that, eventually, will break every cycle of evil and despair: You can be born again by the Holy Spirit, when you accept Jesus as your Lord.

Take time in prayer to appreciate how huge that new thing is; and pray that God would do a great new work of His Spirit in St Barnabas, in Sydney, and in the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister

Gus Cameron

2 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

Gus Cameron

2 March 2026

1 These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Futility of futilities,”
says the Teacher,
“futility of futilities!
Everything is futile!”
3 What does a man gain from all his labor,
at which he toils under the sun?

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

This month we are going to read the puzzling, thoughtful, and sometimes challenging Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. For today, I want to give a quick introduction to the book and its main theme.

Ecclesiastes is one of the Old Testament wisdom books. Proverbs is the most positive book of Old Testament wisdom – it describes the normal pattern of life in God’s world, where living by “the fear of the Lord” will generally bring positive benefits. But that “normal” pattern often doesn’t match our experience, which is why Job and Ecclesiastes are also in the Bible. They balance the perspective of Proverbs by exploring the dark parts of life that challenge simplistic answers. Job does that by asking: What about when the righteous suffer unjustly – do God’s wisdom and goodness fail? Ecclesiastes does it by considering a different challenge … which we’ll get to on Friday.

The book is mainly a collection of sayings by someone who is simply called “the Teacher.” Who was he? We’ll come back that question on Wednesday – the answer is not quite as simple as it seems.

What is the book about? Verses 2 & 3 tell us the three most important things to understand this book.

First, what is the Teacher’s perspective? He is looking at and thinking about the world “under the sun” (v 3). That is, he is trying to work out if he can find meaning and purpose in life only by observation and making logical deductions. For most of the book, he leaves God out of the equation, and limits himself to what he can see and hear and touch. He’s taking the perspective of a rationalist.

Second, the main topic he explores is “labour” or “toil” (v 3). He’s trying to figure out what we achieve through all our effort and sweat and tears. Do we actually achieve anything permanent and lasting?

That leads to the third thing, which is the conclusion he comes to in the end: “Futility of futilities! Everything is futile!” (v 2). If you leave God out of it and only consider what we can observe in the world, you have to conclude that we achieve absolutely nothing. Zero. Zip. Life is meaningless, and our most grand and solid achievements will ultimately turn out to be as permanent as a puff of wind.

I love the brutal honesty of the Teacher – he’s far more honest than many apparently clever atheists, who somehow convince themselves that even though we’re nothing more than random and meaningless clumps of biomatter (or so they believe), life somehow has meaning and value. As we work through the book, the Teacher is going to unveil the foolishness and emptiness of their philosophy.

Now if you were only to read Ecclesiastes, you’d get very depressed. But the ultimate goal of Ecclesiastes is to drive us to Jesus, the Son of God who gives us a view of life “above the sun.” If you know Jesus, you know God, you can know for sure that life is full of meaning and purpose. Thank God now for the ways in which knowing Jesus gives you a sense of meaning and purpose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.

Gus Cameron

28 February 2026

Titus 3:9-15

Gus Cameron

28 February 2026

9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law, because these things are pointless and worthless.
10 Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a man is corrupt and sinful; he is self-condemned.
12 As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. 13 Do your best to equip Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, so that they will have everything they need. 14 And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet the pressing needs of others, so that they will not be unfruitful.
15 All who are with me send you greetings.
Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with all of you.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Nathan Ting

Growing up with an older sister, I would say I did my job of being the annoying younger brother pretty well. I would not be able to count the number of times that we would quarrel over such trivial things that by the end of it, even if I had “won” the argument, I would often not feel satisfied – because it wasn’t even worth arguing over in the first place!

Earlier in chapter 3, Paul exhorted Titus (and us) to remember the grace of God poured out on us through Christ, so that we might grow in godliness and live to please God, which is “excellent and profitable for everyone” (v8). In today’s passage, Paul continues to remind us to remain on course by steering away from things that are “pointless and worthless” (v9) in Christian living. This includes arguing over things that, instead of edifying the church, focus on semantics and nitpicking, minor details. Ultimately, those arguments distract people from the assurance and hope of the gospel message. Paul clearly warns Titus against such divisiveness and divisive people, telling him not just to ignore such a person but to actively reject them (v10, 11) because they are self-condemned. That kind of pointless arguing would undermine Titus’s teaching of the gospel.

Have you ever had disagreements with fellow believers over minor issues that really aren’t connected to the gospel or the truth of God’s word? While it (hopefully) may not be our intention to be divisive or to engage in pointless quarrelling, we can sometimes get caught up in the finer details and lose sight of the bigger picture – the amazing news that while we were all still sinners, Christ died for us so that we could all be invited into God’s family.

Spend a bit of time now praying that we would all remain united in the gospel, building one another up and fixing our eyes on Jesus as we continue living for Him and waiting for His return.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nathan is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

Gus Cameron

27 February 2026

Titus 3:1-8

Gus Cameron

27 February 2026

1 Remind the believers to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and ready for every good work, 2 to malign no one, and to be peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone.
3 For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 8 This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things are excellent and profitable for the people.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Paul Bogg

Salvation is a really good thing. Sometimes, I don’t really think about it and I comfortably go about my business. But there are other times when I remember what I have been saved from, and what I am saved into, and it resonates deeply inside of me. Today’s passage draws me out of my comfort zone and reminds me of the great truths of what salvation really means.

For the first half of my life, I didn’t know Jesus. I too was “foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures”. I wouldn’t have called myself “living in malice and envy”, but maybe in God’s sight, I was. I wouldn’t doubt it!

But when I discovered the kindness and love that God the Father has for the world, that he is ready and willing to forgive our wrongs through the blood of his Son, that we could through faith alone, in his grace alone, become heirs with the hope of eternal life through Christ alone – this grace and mercy was more than I had ever received in my entire life. So I accepted the offer of life, making Jesus Christ my Lord and saviour.

At the beginning, this was transformative – I was a changed man. And as the years have rolled on, I am still a changed man, yet somehow I’m more complacent or comfortable. I don’t strive to be devoted to doing good deeds as much, or I’m far more tempted to not listen to rulers or authorities. But notice what the apostle Paul charges Timothy to do: emphasize everything that salvation means, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. If I am truly a man saved from foolishness and slavery, and saved into a new birth, a new life, and an eternal future – then remembering that should cause me to be devoted to a radically “good” living. Not just good for myself, but a good that shows peace and gentleness and consideration to all people, for their benefit. And not “good” to earn anything from God, but “good” because he has already given me everything.

These are the truths that I need reminding of. Pray with thankfulness for them, that we would remind each other of them regularly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.