As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner, except to feast his eyes on them?
~ Ecclesiastes 5:11 (NIV)
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For some reason, I couldn't seem to understand what today's verse was saying, really. So I looked it up in a couple of different translations/paraphrases:
The more loot you get, the more looters show up. And what fun is that—to be robbed in broad daylight? (The Msg)
The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers! (NLT)
Ah, these brought it into focus for me!
Many, many people strive for wealth, and sometimes they get it. Professional ball players, movie stars, recording artists. Big money makers have worked hard and are paid handsomely. But at what price? How do they know who their real friends are, and who are just the schmoozing vultures looking for a piece of the pie? Surely they must be plagued with doubts and suspicions toward those who gather around them.
Solomon was the richest man in his day (and perhaps ever), and he had a lot to say in his writings about the cost of the pursuit of wealth (do a keyword search on "rich" in Proverbs). He spoke from experience about what the attainment of money can do to people's hearts.
So today, regardless of which side of the balancing scales you are on, seek the Lord regarding your attitude toward money. Examine how you treat people who have money versus those who don't. And guard yourself against greed, which causes all sorts of trouble.
When we seek after God's spiritual riches, such as mercy and love, forgiveness and longsuffering, we don't have to worry about the ill effects they will have on us and our relationships.
Love,
Joelene
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Verse of the Day - Ecclesiastes 7:10
Don't long for "the good old days," for you don't know whether they were any better than today. ~Ecclesiastes 7:10 (NLT)
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Many people look back in our nation's history and think Ah, the '50s -- the "good ol' days" -- when kids were respectful and the music was clean...! But what about racism and the associated exclusion and violence against black people that was so rampant? (Do I need to paste some pics for you to remember?) Who can say that was good?!?
Or even further back...while we study and applaud the advances of European explorers who were discovering new worlds in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, their family and friends back home were reeling from massive casualties caused by repeated epidemics of the Black Plague.
We see what we want to see, and often ignore or forget what is unpleasant, so that we look backward through rose-colored glasses. Ever seen or known someone who refused to live in the present? They play oldies music, drive old cars, watch old television shows, and spend all their time talking about "the good ol' days". They seem to live in a time capsule, isolated from the present by their grasping of the past. But was the past all that great? Probably not as rosy as their vision would like them to believe.
We like to say that this generation is the worst ever. Please don't kid yourselves. If our dead ancestors could tell their tales, I think we'd see that there's truly nothing new under the sun. What is has been, and what was will be again. So, do we continue to spend our days looking in the rear view mirror, longing for the past, or do we look forward at what God is doing and will do? How will God use us for positive change in this generation we think is so bad? Are we willing to be used?
Yes, God sees and knows all that's going on in the world...poverty, injustice, depression, oppression, inflation, immorality, family dysfunction. But shame on us if we stick our heads in the sand, blasting our generation without lifting a finger to help make a difference. God is the Great Healer, the Great Restorer, the Great Reconciler . . . and He calls His people to be agents for good, agents for change. We cannot afford to close our eyes and refuse to look at God's call on our lives to meet the needs around us.
Oh, and btw, if you look for good, you'll find it. The "good ol' days" can be the "good now days"!
Love,
Joelene
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many people look back in our nation's history and think Ah, the '50s -- the "good ol' days" -- when kids were respectful and the music was clean...! But what about racism and the associated exclusion and violence against black people that was so rampant? (Do I need to paste some pics for you to remember?) Who can say that was good?!?
Or even further back...while we study and applaud the advances of European explorers who were discovering new worlds in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, their family and friends back home were reeling from massive casualties caused by repeated epidemics of the Black Plague.
We see what we want to see, and often ignore or forget what is unpleasant, so that we look backward through rose-colored glasses. Ever seen or known someone who refused to live in the present? They play oldies music, drive old cars, watch old television shows, and spend all their time talking about "the good ol' days". They seem to live in a time capsule, isolated from the present by their grasping of the past. But was the past all that great? Probably not as rosy as their vision would like them to believe.
We like to say that this generation is the worst ever. Please don't kid yourselves. If our dead ancestors could tell their tales, I think we'd see that there's truly nothing new under the sun. What is has been, and what was will be again. So, do we continue to spend our days looking in the rear view mirror, longing for the past, or do we look forward at what God is doing and will do? How will God use us for positive change in this generation we think is so bad? Are we willing to be used?
Yes, God sees and knows all that's going on in the world...poverty, injustice, depression, oppression, inflation, immorality, family dysfunction. But shame on us if we stick our heads in the sand, blasting our generation without lifting a finger to help make a difference. God is the Great Healer, the Great Restorer, the Great Reconciler . . . and He calls His people to be agents for good, agents for change. We cannot afford to close our eyes and refuse to look at God's call on our lives to meet the needs around us.
Oh, and btw, if you look for good, you'll find it. The "good ol' days" can be the "good now days"!
Love,
Joelene
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