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 10:47 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Wednesday July 15 > Ecclesiastes 4-6 (The Message) > > Ecclesiastes 4 > Slow Suicide > 1-3 Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes > place on this planet-the > tears of the victims, no one to comfort them; the iron grip of oppressors, > no one to rescue the > victims from them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead > instead of the living who are > still alive. But luckier than the dead or the living is the person who has > never even been, who has > never seen the bad business that takes place on this earth. > 4 Then I observed all the work and ambition motivated by envy. What a > waste! Smoke. And spitting > into the wind. > > 5 The fool sits back and takes it easy, > His sloth is slow suicide. > > 6 One handful of peaceful repose > Is better than two fistfuls of worried work- > More spitting into the wind. > > Why Am I Working Like a Dog? > 7-8 I turned my head and saw yet another wisp of smoke on its way to > nothingness: a solitary > person, completely alone-no children, no family, no friends-yet working > obsessively late into the > night, compulsively greedy for more and more, never bothering to ask, "Why > am I working like a dog, > never having any fun? And who cares?" More smoke. A bad business. > > 9-10 It's better to have a partner than go it alone. > Share the work, share the wealth. > And if one falls down, the other helps, > But if there's no one to help, tough! > > 11 Two in a bed warm each other. > Alone, you shiver all night. > > 12 By yourself you're unprotected. > With a friend you can face the worst. > Can you round up a third? > A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped. > 13-16 A poor youngster with some wisdom is better off than an old but > foolish king who doesn't know > which end is up. I saw a youth just like this start with nothing and go > from rags to riches, and I > saw everyone rally to the rule of this young successor to the king. Even > so, the excitement died > quickly, the throngs of people soon lost interest. Can't you see it's only > smoke? And spitting into > the wind? > > Ecclesiastes 5 > God's in Charge, Not You > 1 Watch your step when you enter God's house. > Enter to learn. That's far better than mindlessly offering > a sacrifice, > Doing more harm than good. > > 2 Don't shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. > Don't be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. > God's in charge, not you-the less you speak, the better. > > 3 Overwork makes for restless sleep. > Overtalk shows you up as a fool. > > 4-5 When you tell God you'll do something, do it-now. > God takes no pleasure in foolish gabble. Vow it, then do it. > Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up. > > 6 Don't let your mouth make a total sinner of you. > When called to account, you won't get by with > "Sorry, I didn't mean it." > Why risk provoking God to angry retaliation? > > 7 But against all illusion and fantasy and empty talk > There's always this rock foundation: Fear God! > A Salary of Smoke > 8-9 Don't be too upset when you see the poor kicked around, and justice > and right violated all over > the place. Exploitation filters down from one petty official to another. > There's no end to it, and > nothing can be done about it. But the good earth doesn't cheat anyone-even > a bad king is honestly > served by a field. > > 10 The one who loves money is never satisfied with money, > Nor the one who loves wealth with big profits. More smoke. > > 11 The more loot you get, the more looters show up. > And what fun is that-to be robbed in broad daylight? > > 12 Hard and honest work earns a good night's sleep, > Whether supper is beans or steak. > But a rich man's belly gives him insomnia. > > 13-17 Here's a piece of bad luck I've seen happen: > A man hoards far more wealth than is good for him > And then loses it all in a bad business deal. > He fathered a child but hasn't a cent left to give him. > He arrived naked from the womb of his mother; > He'll leave in the same condition-with nothing. > This is bad luck, for sure-naked he came, naked he went. > So what was the point of working for a salary of smoke? > All for a miserable life spent in the dark? > Make the Most of What God Gives > 18-20 After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've > decided is the best way > to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of > whatever job you have for as > long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. > Yes, we should make the most > of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting > what's given and > delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, > the now. It's useless to > brood over how long we might live. > Ecclesiastes 6 > Things Are Bad > 1-2 I looked long and hard at what goes on around here, and let me tell > you, things are bad. And > people feel it. There are people, for instance, on whom God showers > everything-money, property, > reputation-all they ever wanted or dreamed of. And then God doesn't let > them enjoy it. Some stranger > comes along and has all the fun. It's more of what I'm calling smoke. A > bad business. > 3-5 Say a couple have scores of children and live a long, long life but > never enjoy themselves-even > though they end up with a big funeral! I'd say that a stillborn baby gets > the better deal. It gets > its start in a mist and ends up in the dark-unnamed. It sees nothing and > knows nothing, but is > better off by far than anyone living. > > 6 Even if someone lived a thousand years-make it two thousand!-but didn't > enjoy anything, what's > the point? Doesn't everyone end up in the same place? > > 7 We work to feed our appetites; > Meanwhile our souls go hungry. > > 8-9 So what advantage has a sage over a fool, or over some poor wretch who > barely gets by? Just > grab whatever you can while you can; don't assume something better might > turn up by and by. All it > amounts to anyway is smoke. And spitting into the wind. > > 10 Whatever happens, happens. Its destiny is fixed. > You can't argue with fate. > > 11-12 The more words that are spoken, the more smoke there is in the air. > And who is any better > off? And who knows what's best for us as we live out our meager > smoke-and-shadow lives? And who can > tell any of us the next chapter of our lives? > > > > > > > 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
