O. Addison Gethers
e-mail address [email protected] [email protected] Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger? OADDISONGETHERS ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 12:07 AM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Tuesday July 14 > Ecclesiastes 1-3 (The Message) > > Ecclesiastes 1 > The Quester > 1These are the words of the Quester, David's son and king in Jerusalem > 2-11 Smoke, nothing but > smoke. [That's what the Quester says.] There's nothing to anything-it's > all smoke. > What's there to show for a lifetime of work, > a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? > One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, > but nothing changes-it's business as usual for old planet earth. > The sun comes up and the sun goes down, > then does it again, and again-the same old round. > The wind blows south, the wind blows north. > Around and around and around it blows, > blowing this way, then that-the whirling, erratic wind. > All the rivers flow into the sea, > but the sea never fills up. > The rivers keep flowing to the same old place, > and then start all over and do it again. > Everything's boring, utterly boring- > no one can find any meaning in it. > Boring to the eye, > boring to the ear. > What was will be again, > what happened will happen again. > There's nothing new on this earth. > Year after year it's the same old thing. > Does someone call out, "Hey, this is new"? > Don't get excited-it's the same old story. > Nobody remembers what happened yesterday. > And the things that will happen tomorrow? > Nobody'll remember them either. > Don't count on being remembered. > I've Seen It All > 12-14 Call me "the Quester." I've been king over Israel in Jerusalem. I > looked most carefully into > everything, searched out all that is done on this earth. And let me tell > you, there's not much to > write home about. God hasn't made it easy for us. I've seen it all and > it's nothing but smoke-smoke, > and spitting into the wind. > > 15 Life's a corkscrew that can't be straightened, > A minus that won't add up. > > 16-17 I said to myself, "I know more and I'm wiser than anyone before me > in Jerusalem. I've > stockpiled wisdom and knowledge." What I've finally concluded is that > so-called wisdom and knowledge > are mindless and witless-nothing but spitting into the wind. > > 18 Much learning earns you much trouble. > The more you know, the more you hurt. > Ecclesiastes 2 > > 1-3 I said to myself, "Let's go for it-experiment with pleasure, have a > good time!" But there was > nothing to it, nothing but smoke. > > What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane! > My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it? > With the help of a bottle of wine > and all the wisdom I could muster, > I tried my level best > to penetrate the absurdity of life. > I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do > during the years we spend on this earth. > I Never Said No to Myself > 4-8 Oh, I did great things: built houses, > planted vineyards, > designed gardens and parks > and planted a variety of fruit trees in them, > made pools of water > to irrigate the groves of trees. > I bought slaves, male and female, > who had children, giving me even more slaves; > then I acquired large herds and flocks, > larger than any before me in Jerusalem. > I piled up silver and gold, > loot from kings and kingdoms. > I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song, > and-most exquisite of all pleasures- > voluptuous maidens for my bed. > 9-10 Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far > behind, left them behind in > the dust. What's more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I > wanted I took-I never said > no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the > marrow of pleasure out of > every task-my reward to myself for a hard day's work! > > I Hate Life > 11 Then I took a good look at everything I'd done, looked at all the sweat > and hard work. But when > I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There > was nothing to any of it. > Nothing. > 12-14 And then I took a hard look at what's smart and what's stupid. > What's left to do after you've > been king? That's a hard act to follow. You just do what you can, and > that's it. But I did see that > it's better to be smart than stupid, just as light is better than > darkness. Even so, though the > smart ones see where they're going and the stupid ones grope in the dark, > they're all the same in > the end. One fate for all-and that's it. > > 15-16 When I realized that my fate's the same as the fool's, I had to ask > myself, "So why bother > being wise?" It's all smoke, nothing but smoke. The smart and the stupid > both disappear out of > sight. In a day or two they're both forgotten. Yes, both the smart and the > stupid die, and that's > it. > > 17 I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad > business. It's smoke-and > spitting into the wind. > > 18-19 And I hated everything I'd accomplished and accumulated on this > earth. I can't take it with > me-no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after me. Whether they're > worthy or worthless-and who's > to tell?-they'll take over the earthly results of my intense thinking and > hard work. Smoke. > > 20-23 That's when I called it quits, gave up on anything that could be > hoped for on this earth. > What's the point of working your fingers to the bone if you hand over what > you worked for to someone > who never lifted a finger for it? Smoke, that's what it is. A bad business > from start to finish. So > what do you get from a life of hard labor? Pain and grief from dawn to > dusk. Never a decent night's > rest. Nothing but smoke. > > 24-26 The best you can do with your life is have a good time and get by > the best you can. The way I > see it, that's it-divine fate. Whether we feast or fast, it's up to God. > God may give wisdom and > knowledge and joy to his favorites, but sinners are assigned a life of > hard labor, and end up > turning their wages over to God's favorites. Nothing but smoke-and > spitting into the wind. > > Ecclesiastes 3 > There's a Right Time for Everything > 1 There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on > the earth: > > 2-8 A right time for birth and another for death, > A right time to plant and another to reap, > A right time to kill and another to heal, > A right time to destroy and another to construct, > A right time to cry and another to laugh, > A right time to lament and another to cheer, > A right time to make love and another to abstain, > A right time to embrace and another to part, > A right time to search and another to count your losses, > A right time to hold on and another to let go, > A right time to rip out and another to mend, > A right time to shut up and another to speak up, > A right time to love and another to hate, > A right time to wage war and another to make peace. > 9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? > I've had a good look at > what God has given us to do-busywork, mostly. True, God made everything > beautiful in itself and in > its time-but he's left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up > to, whether he's coming > or going. I've decided that there's nothing better to do than go ahead and > have a good time and get > the most we can out of life. That's it-eat, drink, and make the most of > your job. It's God's gift. > > 14 I've also concluded that whatever God does, that's the way it's going > to be, always. No > addition, no subtraction. God's done it and that's it. That's so we'll > quit asking questions and > simply worship in holy fear. > 15 Whatever was, is. > Whatever will be, is. > That's how it always is with God. > > God's Testing Us > 16-18 I took another good look at what's going on: The very place of > judgment- corrupt! The place > of righteousness-corrupt! I said to myself, "God will judge righteous and > wicked." There's a right > time for every thing, every deed-and there's no getting around it. I said > to myself regarding the > human race, "God's testing the lot of us, showing us up as nothing but > animals." > 19-22 Humans and animals come to the same end-humans die, animals die. We > all breathe the same air. > So there's really no advantage in being human. None. Everything's smoke. > We all end up in the same > place-we all came from dust, we all end up as dust. Nobody knows for sure > that the human spirit > rises to heaven or that the animal spirit sinks into the earth. So I made > up my mind that there's > nothing better for us men and women than to have a good time in whatever > we do-that's our lot. Who > knows if there's anything else to life? > > > > > > > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
