Passage of the Day: May 2011

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 26, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:19-22

¹⁹ Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. ²⁰ Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. ²¹ Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. ²² For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.

We are all sinners. Don’t get all in a tizzy about the stupid things people say because we have said plenty of stupid things ourselves.

Wisdom is more important than wise counsel. There are many smart and wise people who come to very different conclusions on everything. We must be grounded and strengthened with our own wisdom. As to old saying goes, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” I have an economics degree and the old joke is if you stacked up all the economists in the world you still couldn’t reach a conclusion. That is the problem, wise council does not necessarily lead to wise decisions.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 25, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:16-18

¹⁶Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?

¹⁷Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

¹⁸It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.

Curious. Interesting it says to not be excessively or overly except about being a fool. Never, ever, be a fool. We can be wicked, just not a fool. How weird. What is meant by not being excessively righteous and not excessively wicked? Let’s start with wicked. Is there some sort of allowable wickedness? Of course not. However, we are inherently wicked. We should not pursue additional paths of wickedness above and beyond what we struggle with currently. Ok then, what about excessively righteous. Was Jesus excessively righteous? Is God? Excessive righteousness appears to mean more like legalism or stagnation from fear of committing sin. God tells us to focus on loving and serving God and our neighbors, not to be a do-gooder goody-two-shoes. Finally, overly wise. What does that mean? Another term for that is “Fat Christian”. We consume all the wisdom and knowledge that can be gleaned from scripture and do absolutely nothing with it. We will know the right thing to say or do in any situation, but focusing too much on gaining excessive amounts of wisdom doesn’t allow us the time or energy to serve others. What good is that? God can’t be overly righteous or overly wise because He isn’t constrained by temporal forces. We, on the other hand, are. If we choose to fully conquer A, we can never attack B or C. God can conquer A thru Z all the time.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 24, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:15

¹⁵I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.

Life ain’t fair, life ain’t gonna be fair, and no matter who we are, we can’t make it be fair. The sooner we accept this as fact, the happier we will be. Accept the lot and cross God has given you to bear and remain faithful. The thought of “That’s Not Fair!” is rife with the sins of covetousness, idolatry, and blasphemy.

Passage of the Day - May 23, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:14

¹⁴In the day of prosperity be happy,
         But in the day of adversity consider--
         God has made the one as well as the other
         So that man will not discover anything that will be after him.

The thought that God not only allows adversity, but actually makes adversity is a difficult concept to accept. Why would God…. Oh that question is one that plagues all of Christendom. I don’t know the answer, but I do know this, God is the Author of all things. How many stories that have been written do not involve a conflict or struggle of some kind? Isn’t every struggle helped us to become stronger? What ever doesn’t kill us (and bring us to paradise) only makes us stronger, right? Perhaps our questions shouldn’t be “Why would a good God do a, b, or c”, but rather why would a person of faith question and reject God at the first sign of trouble and yet will push themselves on the treadmill, stay late at work during the busy season, or love their kids even during meltdowns?

Passage of the Day - May 22, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:13

¹³Consider the work of God,
For who is able to straighten what He has bent?

This passage speaks both to the power of God and the powerlessness of our pride. No matter how much we rebel against God and try to change the rules and nature of the game of life, we fail. God is not on our plan and will not change His plan to fit our desires and it is about time we stop asking Him to.

Passage of the Day - May 21, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:11-12

¹¹Wisdom along with an inheritance is good
         And an advantage to those who see the sun.
    ¹²For wisdom is protection just as money is protection,
         But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.

Spending more than what you have is not a symptom of not having enough money; it is a symptom of having a spending problem. People who can’t live within their means would probably have a hard time doing so with twice as much income. Being wise with our money is the most important step toward financial freedom and success.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 20, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:10

¹⁰Do not say, "Why is it that the former days were better than these?"
For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

Our memory of the past is limited compared to our complaining about the present. It is often easy to think of the glory years of one’s life, one’s society, one’s country, or one’s world. It is easy to think of how much better it was, but we have forgotten so much of the bad things. When we are complaining, we have our complaining goggles on. We can see everything that is up close perfectly, but we can only see the good in the past. The past, in reality, was rife with its own trouble. There is no era that was any less evil than any other. The world was filled with evil sinners, oppression, and war in the 1500’s, the 1950’s, and today. A wise person would never make such a foolish comment.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 19, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:9

⁹Do not be eager in your heart to be angry,
For anger resides in the bosom of fools.

There are so many reasons in this world to be angry. A wise woman once told me that you can’t change the behavior of others through acts of anger. Anger is not wrong if dealt with properly. Anger can often grip and distract us. We can get completely bent out of shape over some trivial offense and not see great injustices somewhere else. We simply have more important things to be focused on than the little things that anger us. Do not let your life be consumed by anger.

Passage of the Day - May 18, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:8

⁸The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.

These two points go well together. We can have such high confidence and cockiness when beginning a project. We think that it is really going to be something special. And then….the work starts getting hard and distractions come into play. Our cockiness doesn’t help us here. However, a gentle, patient, and diligent spirit will help us to be finishers. Nobody, including God, is impressed with the projects we start; they are pleased with the projects we finish.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 17, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:7

⁷For oppression makes a wise man mad,
And a bribe corrupts the heart.

Many good leaders have fallen into the trap of oppressing their people. Once the oppression game begins, it is difficult to stop. They can end up doing evil, wicked, and down right insane things. There are many examples of this, most notably the characters from the 20^th century. Hitler became the poster boy of evil. Polpot called for very wicked things. Stalin was stymied by his paranoia. There are other examples throughout the world especially by those who rose to and maintained power through oppression who were driven mad to hold onto their power.

How do we lead our families or businesses or church groups? Do we lead by heavy-handedness? Or do we lead by love?

Monday, May 16, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 16, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:6

    ⁶For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a pot,
         So is the laughter of the fool;
         And this too is futility.

The crackling of thorn bushes under a pot sound really cool, but they don’t really heat anything. The same is true with the laughter of fools. It may provide a momentary smile or guffaw, but it will never warm your heart when you need serious cheering up. Depressed people don’t silliness, they need help. When difficult decisions need to be made, making light of the situation or being a smart-aleck is never appreciated. Are we going to be the thorn bush fool or the useful log?

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 15, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:5

  ⁵It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man
         Than for one to listen to the song of fools.

Do we need people who make us feel better and affirm us, or do we need people who make us better even if it makes us squirm? How many people in our lives take our side to our face and think how stupid we are in their hearts? A good swift kick in our butt from a wise man is better than a kiss of our butt from a fool. Do we seek the counsel of someone who will tell us we are wrong, or do we seek the counsel of those who will confirm the decision we have already made in our hearts?

Passage of the Day - May 14, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:4

  ⁴The mind of the wise
         is in the house of mourning,
         While the mind of fools

Is in the house of pleasure.

The house of mourning is filled with people who care about someone worth morning over. The house of pleasure is filled with people who do not care about anyone else but themselves and no one worth mourning over. Someone driven by love is found in the house of mourning. Someone driven by their next “high” is found in the house of mourning. Someone with purpose can be found in the house of morning, but never in the house of pleasure.

Passage of the Day - May 13, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:3

  ³Sorrow is better than laughter,
         For when a face is sad
         a heart may be happy.

One cannot have a happy heart without a healthy heart. Evidence of a healthy heart is sorrow and pain. If someone cannot feel sorrow or pain, their heart is cold and hard and incapable of being happy. However, being able to sympathize and empathize with others and to share their sorrow is an extension of the joy that is in our hearts.

Passage of the Day - May 12, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:2

  ²It is better to go to a house of mourning
         Than to go to a house of feasting,
         Because that is the end of every man,
         And the living takes it to heart.

It’s no fun going to a depressing place, but it is often more beneficial. We can celebrate our military victories with parades and fireworks, but a military funeral will teach us more about the gravity of war and the sacrifice our soldiers make and what the cost of heroism really is. The same can be said for a military hospital with wounded soldiers. You will have more fun at a parade, but you will be a better person after leaving a funeral.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 11, 2011

Ecclesiastes 7:1

¹A good name is better than a good ointment,
And the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth.

Having a good reputation is good to have. Are we doing what we can to have a good reputation? Are we doing what we can to give God a good reputation?

Our existence here on earth is merely a time to fall in love with God through faith and to help others do the same. Our ultimate existence will be with Christ in paradise.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 10, 2011

Ecclesiastes 6:10-12

¹⁰Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is.

¹¹For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man?

¹²For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?

All talk and no action is truly a pointless existence. Spending one’s life attempting to discover one’s destiny without living one’s destiny is a complete waste. We have a strong tendency toward puffing up our own self worth to the point that we desire to do something great with our lives and if we don’t we are wasting our God given talents. We guilt ourselves into doing things that are great on paper, but perhaps we aren’t the people to do great things well (at least not yet). God desires faithfulness above greatness. Be faithful where you are, willing to change where God wants you to change, and wise when granted new opportunities.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 9, 2011

Ecclesiastes 6:8-9

⁸For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living?

⁹What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires This too is futility and a striving after wind.

It is better to enjoy what we have than to lust over what we don’t. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Obsessing over what we don’t have is pointless. We all fall into this trap no matter how wise or rich or poor or foolish we are. We must guard against it.

Passage of the Day - May 8, 2011

Ecclesiastes 6:3-7

³If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he,

⁴for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity.

⁵"It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; it is better off than he.

⁶"Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not enjoy good things--do not all go to one place?"

⁷All a man's labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.

You know, the western world in our generation really lacks nothing. It really is pathetic that we complain about anything. Gratefulness and enjoyment of the blessings God has provided us is the key to life. If we aren’t satisfied with all of what God has given, even if it isn’t everything we could imagine, shame on us.

Passage of the Day - May 7, 2011

Ecclesiates 6:1-2

¹There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men--

²a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction.

What would it be like to be a power player in the world? What would it be like to international influence? We would have everything we would want, high income, large wealth, praise from all directions. We would have the mansion in California, the condo in New York, the winter palace in Aspen, the little place in Milan. We would have the trophy spouse. We would have access to the royal treatment to whatever restaurant we wanted to go. The problem is, we would be working while the person our spouse was cheating on us with would be enjoying all of these wonders. What good is that?

Riches, even God-given riches, cannot bring happiness if we are unable to enjoy them.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 6, 2011

Ecclesiastes 5:13-20

¹³There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt.

¹⁴When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.

¹⁵As he had come naked from his mother's womb, so will he return as he came He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.

¹⁶This also is a grievous evil--exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?

¹⁷Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.

¹⁸Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.

¹⁹Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

²⁰For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.

The key to life is enjoying the God-given fruits of our labor. The key to life isn’t getting more and more fruit. Any fruit beyond which one could enjoy should be given to another. It is not wrong to have much fruit, but it is pointless to have more than is needed. If we enjoy all the fruit that we have been given, we are thankful. If we can’t enjoy all the fruit that we have been given, yet aspire for more, we are just greedy, covetous, and ungrateful. God hates those attitudes.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 5, 2011

Ecclesiastes 5:12

¹²The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.

One who works for a living is typically tired at bed time. The worker is too tired to allow the status of his stomach to deter him from sleep. A rich man who doesn’t isn’t tired enough to overcome the inordinate amount of food and pressure in his belly. Fully indulging yourself will only cause discomfort at the end of the day.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 4, 2011

Ecclesiastes 5:11

¹¹When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?

I don’t think there is a man who has ever lived that had so much wealth that he was able to satisfy everyone. In life there is equilibrium, and as soon as one side becomes too weighted, another force will move into get their share. If you find a way to make $1000 for every $100 you invest, believe me, you will find competitors in, ohhh, about five seconds. Rides on the gravy train tend to be very short. We must not put our trust in them.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 3, 2011

Ecclesiastes 5:10

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.

Money isn't the problem, love of money is the problem. The problem with life is love being directed toward insufficient objets. Money is not evil, but the quest for more of something that you will never find sufficiency will drive you to do things that are evil. There is only one object that is sufficient and that is God Himself. We can find fulfillment in no other.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Passage of the Day - May 2, 2011

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

⁸If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight; for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them.

⁹After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land.

This sounds odd at first glance, but what the writer is stating is that a good king will eventually root out corruption. The actions of evildoers will not go unnoticed forever.

Passage of the Day - May 1, 2011

Ecclesiastes 5:6-7

⁶Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

⁷For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.

What we say gets us into so much trouble. When we are already in trouble, our tongue often acts like a shovel digging us a larger hole. If you haven’t thought before you spoke, don’t. Not only does our thoughtless speech cause us to sin, but it damages the integrity of everything else we say.

Passage of the Day - April 30, 2011

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

⁴When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools Pay what you vow!

⁵It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

FYI, this applies to marriage vows. Everything we build is only as strong as our word. Do not take your word lightly or everything you build will eventually be destroyed.