Passage of the Day - April 23, 2011

Ecclesiastes 4:1-3

 ¹Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.

 ²So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living.

 ³But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

If we truly look at the plight of the rest of the world we can become so depressed about how bad it is for them and how it is so unfair that we don’t endure the same hardships that wicked guilt and heartache can consume us.  The problem is, that this guilt and heartache breeds ingratitude.  Ingratitude breeds cold and hard hearts.  Cold and hard hearts breed godlessness.  Godlessness breeds evil.  Evil breeds further oppression.  Further oppression breeds further pain and suffering.  Therefore, be wary of being consumed by the plight of the world and focus on doing something about it to the glory of God.

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/)