7 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.
4 A wise person thinks a lot about death,
while a fool thinks only about having a good time.
5 Better to be criticized by a wise person
than to be praised by a fool.
6 A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,
like thorns crackling in a fire.
This also is meaningless.
7 Extortion turns wise people into fools,
and bribes corrupt the heart.
8 Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride.
9 Control your temper,
for anger labels you a fool.
10 Don’t long for “the good old days.”
This is not wise.
11 Wisdom is even better when you have money.
Both are a benefit as you go through life.
12 Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,
but only wisdom can save your life.
13 Accept the way God does things,
for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
14 Enjoy prosperity while you can,
but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
15 I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. 16 So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? 17 On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? 18 Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.
19 One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!
20 Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
21 Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. 22 For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.
23 I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. 24 Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. 25 I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.
26 I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.
27 “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. 28 Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! 29 But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”
Ecclesiastes 7
Dear God, this was a tough read this morning. A couple of things were really good, but some of it I receive with skepticism.
Here’s what I liked. Verse 13:
13 Accept the way God does things,
for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
This has been a hard lesson for me to learn. I have had times in my life when I was really disappointed in you. I thought I had done my part, but you didn’t do yours. But then I got to a point where I just submitted to a life that isn’t mine anyway. I do my best in each moment. And sometimes I fail. Sometimes I make mistakes. Sometimes I am sinful. But you know my heart. You know my efforts and my intentions. So why is the path so crooked. Well, the truth is that crooked paths strengthen me. They strengthen us all. They also can force us in a direction we didn’t think we wanted to go. We wanted to go straight ahead and keep pressing on, but perhaps you have something for us to accomplish by turning right and then left. Perhaps even backtracking a little. Instead of trying to straighten the path, it is best to just worshipfully walk it in faith.
The first half of verse 28 reminds me of the U2 song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” 28 Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Frankly, I always struggled even with the U2 song. I think perhaps the song makes the same mistake Solomon makes here. He is looking for this peace that comes from feeling significant. He is making his own life and what he does with it an idol.
Father, idols are not worthy of our worship. Not even the idol of my own life. And I really believe it–that my life can be an idol to myself. I watched a video at Rotary on Monday of a woman in our club who went to visit a place in Tanzania where our club has been part of putting water catchment systems and bathrooms in schools. The children in the video were absolutely precious. They had so little. But as I looked at them and wanted to pity them I couldn’t help but think about our children here and the rampant anxiety and mental health issues they are currently facing. Who’s to say that those children in Tanzania are worse off than our children in the grand scheme of things? When you look at them, are they really less fortunate, or are they, perhaps, more fortunate? I don’t know. But I know that I want to worship you today. I want to consider my life worth nothing to me. I want to be part of your plan to bring your kingdom and your will into this current earth. Show me how to do that.
I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Amen
Emails to God 