It is regrettable that more churches don't study Ecclesiastes as a good life lesson. It is something that American's with their lifestyle of wealth and ease compared with almost all of the rest of the world should be able to relate to if people are honest.
There is madness in men's hearts for various vain pursuits; and as the last verse in chapter 12 states the sum of the matter is to fear God (and I think keep His commandments).
It is; of course against nature to desire to die to self. Self preservation is instinctual; and no doubt is something designed by God.
What is aberrant is when such behavior is done in lieu of a higher calling of self sacrificial love when as believers much as Peter faced when Christ was captured and he denied Him we put our own needs above that of the Lord. We could also point out other things such as Agape love of our enemies which we simply can't do in the flesh. That goes the other way scripturally to when we follow God at the expense of those we love and things we used to run after. Peter apparently was married and yet chose to be away from home for the sake of the Gospel although it is possible his mother in law outlived his wife I suppose. Such action in general is not the Lord's will under normal circumstances as other scriptures demonstrate related to marriage covenant and commitments to our spouse and children. I would say in that case it is more related to those whose wife or husband's behavior is so heinous that permanent separation must occur (notice God doesn't use the term ex wife).
Anyway; everything is in our old self seemingly backwards once saved. Our interests; our efforts; our friendships should have a substantial change. God given talents can still be used but we should seek His will in continuing with our old vocation; for instance or perhaps shifting to active ministry. Our mindset needs to be on what His will is and our role to honor the Kingdom.
Yesterday I was out driving doing errands and was thinking about the beauty of this little NW corner of the U.S. and how abundantly our lands produce food, materials and resources that supply our needs and then some. I was thinking of how we should be so grateful for God's richness in blessing us with clean water, soil that produces good crops, the means to generate energy to keep our homes electrified, heated and cooled as well as the materials to build homes.
From there I went to reminding myself how people in other areas of the world battle against the weather, lack of water, poor soils and resources we take for granted here. I thought of how we should pray for God to equally bless these people as He has us and that when we recall our blessings from Him we should also pray for God to open doors for us to help alleviate the hardship of others across the globe. The U.S.A. has a history of providing food for the needy in the world. May this country continue to have an overabundance of food produced to distribute worldwide. May the Lord show each of us how to best use our financial resources to help charities that provide necessities for those who do not have a life of ease as so many of us have as well as to share material blessings with others in need in our area.
Your post goes hand in hand with my thoughts yesterday. We all should be seeking God's will and kingdom instead of wealth and ease in this life. We should be content in what we have been given, work hard at whatever job He has provided for us, be wise with how we invest our "sweat equity" (such as how we renovate our home at this time) and to be joyful and ready always to help others aby way we can.
Well thanks...now I have some idea what part of the country you live in. Perhaps some areas there will outlast the eastern urban areas.
I wasn't going to get into the same aspect of the topic you mentioned...the blessings of our nation and our reaction to it I was; of course focusing in on our own desires for things to remain prosperous in our own lives.
Anyway for me personally I have through an agency gotten someone to come to our house who in 30 days SHOULD be totally covered on my parent's insurance; for the time being another lady she met one time who helped her at the store will come to assist as she and her daughter work as aides on the side. It seems the Lord wants me to remain at my present job; as I was ready to quit and basically said to God that if He wanted me to remain He would have to get help within the next couple weeks.
I am going to observe these people first and am praying the agency which is recommended is as good as it says. With my work and 45 day notice I just found out my original boss isn't coming back as they are actively looking for someone else to manage the kitchen. Last spring my former boss's boss was more or less temporarily managing at our High school. Maybe that will help me not getting such a bad evaluation; I am going to try to hold out for the 45 days in case I can get unemployment and to look decent on my resume.
There have been major and at times daily struggles here. My mom has to eat enough to survive and with her hernia and other issues if she eats too much she can't breathe. Her latest move is to stop the chia seeds which she things are blocking her up.
I got some sense today if He tarries that indeed the Lord may have some evangelistic work here at a larger scale to perform. I'm in a Philadelphia suburb I can probably state that here. I still believe an end time message is my calling; but also know the 144,000 will specialize in that after the Rapture.
I am glad to hear that God is providing care givers for your parents. I will pray that these people are truly compassionate and good at their job of caring for others whoa re vulnerable. I will pray that your job situation improves for you and that you are able to provide for what you need by your wages.
I have never been to the east coast, or mid west, or the south. Pretty much have stayed here in the Puget Sound region of Washington since birth. Have visited California a few times, Arizona once, Idaho a few times, Oregon quite a few times, and Montana 3 or 4 times. Other than that, this little corner of the U.S. is my home and I love all the natural beauty and variety of landscapes, topography, and climate zones, from the ocean coast to the mountains, to the high desert of Eastern Washington, to the Columbia Gorge, to the Puget Sound and all of its islands. We have loved camping in Washington and Oregon over the years.
Now we are about to turn 68 in the coming months and so we will probably not camp as much as before. Having the freedom to go where we want to go and engage in what we love to do is truly a gift. I pray for those in countries where there is not much personal freedom as well as oppression and much poverty.
Whether time is truly short before the Lord's return or if He tarries long past our life spans, we can endeavor to do all for the glory of God in our everyday lives and encounters. I hope to be a faithful steward in His service.
It is regrettable that more churches don't study Ecclesiastes as a good life lesson. It is something that American's with their lifestyle of wealth and ease compared with almost all of the rest of the world should be able to relate to if people are honest.
There is madness in men's hearts for various vain pursuits; and as the last verse in chapter 12 states the sum of the matter is to fear God (and I think keep His commandments).
It is; of course against nature to desire to die to self. Self preservation is instinctual; and no doubt is something designed by God.
What is aberrant is when such behavior is done in lieu of a higher calling of self sacrificial love when as believers much as Peter faced when Christ was captured and he denied Him we put our own needs above that of the Lord. We could also point out other things such as Agape love of our enemies which we simply can't do in the flesh. That goes the other way scripturally to when we follow God at the expense of those we love and things we used to run after. Peter apparently was married and yet chose to be away from home for the sake of the Gospel although it is possible his mother in law outlived his wife I suppose. Such action in general is not the Lord's will under normal circumstances as other scriptures demonstrate related to marriage covenant and commitments to our spouse and children. I would say in that case it is more related to those whose wife or husband's behavior is so heinous that permanent separation must occur (notice God doesn't use the term ex wife).
Anyway; everything is in our old self seemingly backwards once saved. Our interests; our efforts; our friendships should have a substantial change. God given talents can still be used but we should seek His will in continuing with our old vocation; for instance or perhaps shifting to active ministry. Our mindset needs to be on what His will is and our role to honor the Kingdom.
Yesterday I was out driving doing errands and was thinking about the beauty of this little NW corner of the U.S. and how abundantly our lands produce food, materials and resources that supply our needs and then some. I was thinking of how we should be so grateful for God's richness in blessing us with clean water, soil that produces good crops, the means to generate energy to keep our homes electrified, heated and cooled as well as the materials to build homes.
From there I went to reminding myself how people in other areas of the world battle against the weather, lack of water, poor soils and resources we take for granted here. I thought of how we should pray for God to equally bless these people as He has us and that when we recall our blessings from Him we should also pray for God to open doors for us to help alleviate the hardship of others across the globe. The U.S.A. has a history of providing food for the needy in the world. May this country continue to have an overabundance of food produced to distribute worldwide. May the Lord show each of us how to best use our financial resources to help charities that provide necessities for those who do not have a life of ease as so many of us have as well as to share material blessings with others in need in our area.
Your post goes hand in hand with my thoughts yesterday. We all should be seeking God's will and kingdom instead of wealth and ease in this life. We should be content in what we have been given, work hard at whatever job He has provided for us, be wise with how we invest our "sweat equity" (such as how we renovate our home at this time) and to be joyful and ready always to help others aby way we can.
Have a great day today.
I wasn't going to get into the same aspect of the topic you mentioned...the blessings of our nation and our reaction to it I was; of course focusing in on our own desires for things to remain prosperous in our own lives.
Anyway for me personally I have through an agency gotten someone to come to our house who in 30 days SHOULD be totally covered on my parent's insurance; for the time being another lady she met one time who helped her at the store will come to assist as she and her daughter work as aides on the side. It seems the Lord wants me to remain at my present job; as I was ready to quit and basically said to God that if He wanted me to remain He would have to get help within the next couple weeks.
I am going to observe these people first and am praying the agency which is recommended is as good as it says. With my work and 45 day notice I just found out my original boss isn't coming back as they are actively looking for someone else to manage the kitchen. Last spring my former boss's boss was more or less temporarily managing at our High school. Maybe that will help me not getting such a bad evaluation; I am going to try to hold out for the 45 days in case I can get unemployment and to look decent on my resume.
There have been major and at times daily struggles here. My mom has to eat enough to survive and with her hernia and other issues if she eats too much she can't breathe. Her latest move is to stop the chia seeds which she things are blocking her up.
I got some sense today if He tarries that indeed the Lord may have some evangelistic work here at a larger scale to perform. I'm in a Philadelphia suburb I can probably state that here. I still believe an end time message is my calling; but also know the 144,000 will specialize in that after the Rapture.
God bless.
Rich P
I am glad to hear that God is providing care givers for your parents. I will pray that these people are truly compassionate and good at their job of caring for others whoa re vulnerable. I will pray that your job situation improves for you and that you are able to provide for what you need by your wages.
I have never been to the east coast, or mid west, or the south. Pretty much have stayed here in the Puget Sound region of Washington since birth. Have visited California a few times, Arizona once, Idaho a few times, Oregon quite a few times, and Montana 3 or 4 times. Other than that, this little corner of the U.S. is my home and I love all the natural beauty and variety of landscapes, topography, and climate zones, from the ocean coast to the mountains, to the high desert of Eastern Washington, to the Columbia Gorge, to the Puget Sound and all of its islands. We have loved camping in Washington and Oregon over the years.
Now we are about to turn 68 in the coming months and so we will probably not camp as much as before. Having the freedom to go where we want to go and engage in what we love to do is truly a gift. I pray for those in countries where there is not much personal freedom as well as oppression and much poverty.
Whether time is truly short before the Lord's return or if He tarries long past our life spans, we can endeavor to do all for the glory of God in our everyday lives and encounters. I hope to be a faithful steward in His service.
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