September 19
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IRONIES OF LIFE
A poem by ILMA
When you dig a well, you probably might fall in
When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake
When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you
When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax
Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade
That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed
Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words
Fools use their assumptions, so their conclusions are wicked madness
No one knows what’s going to happen; no one can predict the future
Fools are so tired by a little work; they can’t even find their way home
Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.
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MEMORY VERSE
Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. – Ecclesiastes 10:10
Read: Ecclesiastes 10:5-20
Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that ends up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between appearance and reality. King Solomon presents some of these ironies in life that we face. Let us learn from these ironies and take it as a guide so we can do the wise thing instead of doing what fools might do.
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REFLECTION
• What ironies in life have you been faced with lately?
• Why do you think people go crazy when they can’t predict what’s going to happen?
• Why is important for us to search for the truth and live by it?
Monthly Archives: September 2019
REMEMBER GOD WHILE YOU’RE YOUNG Poem Devotional
September 18
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REMEMBER GOD WHILE YOU’RE YOUNG
A poem by ILMA
Don’t let youth’s excitement cause you to forget your Creator
Honor him in your youth before getting old and thinking that life is bad
Remember him before all sources of light seems dim to your old eyes
Reminisce it before rain clouds continually darken your sky.
Remember him before your legs starts to tremble
Recall him before your shoulders starts to stoop
Remember him before your teeth fall or stop grinding
Do it before your eyes have trouble seeing already.
Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed
Don’t wait for wasted time when the sound of work fades
In youth, you are excited and you rise at the first chirping of the birds
As you grow older, all different kinds of sounds will grow faint.
Remember him before you’re near the grave, your everlasting home
Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young
For then the dust will return to the earth
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
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MEMORY VERSE
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. – Ecclesiastes 12:1
Read: Ecclesiastes 12:1-6
Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in his old age. He was considered the wisest person in his time. Because he asked the Lord for wisdom instead of riches, he was granted all the wisest words of advice. In these verses, we are cautioned not to wait to be very old when we acknowledge God. He tells us to remember the creator while we are young since, we won’t have the chance to enjoy Him when we are already nearing our end.
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REFLECTION
• Why must people not forget to remember their creator while they are still young?
DEATH COMES TO ALL Poem Devotional
September 17
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DEATH COMES TO ALL
A poem by ILMA
Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands,
No one knows whether God will or will not show them favor
The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked
Good people receive the same treatment as sinners.
It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate
Twisted by evil, people choose their own mad choices and have no hope
There is nothing ahead but death and there’s hope only for the living
As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!”
The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing
They have no further reward, nor are they remembered
Whatever they did in their lifetime—is all long gone
They no longer play a part in anything here on earth.
Whatever you do, do well, you only live once.
When you go to the grave, there’ll be no work or wisdom.
The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race
The strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle
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MEMORY VERSE
The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. – Ecclesiastes 9:5
Read: Ecclesiastes 9:1-12
Death is something that will inevitably come in our lives. Some people avoid this topic because they don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ who has overcome the grave and has resurrected. They think their existence ends in physical death. Jesus promises eternal life for those who believes him.
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REFLECTION
• What is the reason behind the “fear of physical death?”
• Why do people who don’t know Jesus lose hope when someone dies?
THE WICKED AND THE RIGHTEOUS Poem Devotional
September 16
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THE WICKED AND THE RIGHTEOUS
A poem by ILMA
I have thought deeply how people have the power to hurt each other
There are wicked people who commit crimes and hide them to appear right
If a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong
Those who fear God will be better off than those who live long in sin.
The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God
Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows
In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked
While the wicked are often treated as though they were good.
So, I recommend having fun, because all these things are meaningless
Experience some happiness along with all the hard work and you’ll be satisfied
In our search for wisdom and watching people’s burdens here on earth,
I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night.
I found out that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun
Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim
So, all this comparison with the wicked and the righteous are all meaningless
Live for the Lord and you will find meaning and purpose in your life.
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MEMORY VERSE
I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim. – Ecclesiastes 8:17
Read: Ecclesiastes 8:9-17
The world we live in is full of comparison mostly of good and evil. The author of Ecclesiastes expounds on the futility of comparing the life of both the wicked and the righteous. He emphasizes that those who fear God are better off than those who live long in sin. We cannot totally comprehend what God is doing and no one can actually understand it and boast that they know things.
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REFLECTION
• Why is enjoying your life essential in life? What happens when you don’t?
LIMITS OF HUMAN WISDOM Poem Devotional
September 15
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LIMITS OF HUMAN WISDOM
A poem by ILMA
Most things are meaningless including the death of good young persons
Another thing that’s pointless is the long life of wicked people
Don’t be too good or too wise! On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either
Why die before your time? Anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.
One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!
Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins
Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear others curse you
For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.
I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions
I said to myself, “I want to be wise.” But it’s always distant and difficult to find
I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and understand things
I was resolute to prove that wickedness is stupid and foolishness is madness.
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!
But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous
But people have each turned to follow their own downward path.
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MEMORY VERSE
God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path. – Ecclesiastes 7:29
Read: Ecclesiastes 7:15-29
One of the things humans pursue in their lives is to understand things and be wise but the author of the book of Ecclesiastes discusses in this chapter how human wisdom is very limited. We try to find things to do that we think is meaningful, but we often miss out on what we were created for. God created us all to be righteous but we almost always follow our sinful human nature.
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REFLECTION
• Why do people want to understand and take control of meaningless things?
WISE WORDS TO LIVE BY Poem Devotional
September 14
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WISE WORDS TO LIVE BY
A poem by ILMA
A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume
The day you die is better than the day you are born
Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties
After all, everyone die, so the living should take this to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us
The wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fools think only of good times Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool
A fool’s laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling in a fire.
Extortion turns wise people into fools and bribes corrupt the heart.
Finishing is better than starting and patience is better than pride.
Control your temper for anger and don’t dwell on the good old days
When you manage your emotion, you will benefit in life.
Wisdom and money can get you anything but only wisdom can save you
Accept the way God does things for who can straighten what he’s made crooked?
Enjoy prosperity when while you still can but realize that both come from God
Remember that nothing is certain in this life; everything is in the Lord’s hand.
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MEMORY VERSE
Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life.
-Ecclesiastes 7:12
Read: Ecclesiastes 7:1-14
Most people live their lives carelessly without much thoughts on things that they should care about. They get all wrapped up in the world’s system and standards that God’s truth and his words are not important to them.
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REFLECTION
• What wise words touches you in this chapter of Ecclesiastes?
• Why is it important for us to be in touch with truth instead of focusing and believing the lies surrounding us?
• What do you believe is the key to a successful and joyful life?
ON DESIRING WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE Poem Devotional
September 13
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ON DESIRING WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE
A poem by ILMA
There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun
It weighs heavily on humanity; God gives some people great wealth
Then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things
They die, and someone else, ends up enjoying their wealth.
A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old
But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial
It would have been better for him to be born dead
His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness.
He wouldn’t even have had a name and he would never have seen the sun
Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man
He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment
Since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use?
All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they don’t have enough
So are wise people really better off than fools?
Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have
Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
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MEMORY VERSE
Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. – Ecclesiastes 6:9
Read: Ecclesiastes 6: 1-9
Ecclesiastes explains how life can be meaningless and how we humans can focus so much on what we don’t have instead of what we actually have. This constant desire to clamor for something that is unattainable is what drives many people to covet, steal or live a life of discontent.
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REFLECTION
• Why is desiring something you don’t have meaningless?
• Why should we enjoy what we have instead of focusing on what we lack?
THE FUTILITY OF WEALTH Poem Devotional
September 12
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THE FUTILITY OF WEALTH
A poem by ILMA
Don’t be surprised if you see someone being oppressed by the powerful
Or if justice is being miscarried throughout the land
All officials takes orders from the higher up
Matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.
Even the king milks the land for his own profit
Those who love money will never have enough
How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!
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!
People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much
But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep; hoarding riches harms the saver
Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost.
In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children
We all come to the end of our lives as naked as on the day we were born
People leave this world no better off than when they came
All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind.
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Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 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.
– Ecclesiastes 5:10-11
Read: Ecclesiastes 5:8-15
The world has twisted our value system by putting so much emphasis on wealth. Many people desire to be rich so they can have the respect of others. Many people chase money and they don’t realize the danger of this obsession.
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REFLECTION
• What happens to people who is in pursuit of money?
• Why does the book of Ecclesiastes think that wealth is meaningless?
HONOR YOUR SPOKEN PROMISES Poem Devotional
September 11
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HONOR YOUR SPOKEN PROMISES
A poem by ILMA
As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut
It is evil to make mindless offerings that are dishonorable to our Lord
Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before him
After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth; let your words be few.
Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool
When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through
God takes no pleasure in fools so keep all the promises you make to him
It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it.
Don’t sin by defending yourself that the promise you made was a mistake
That would make God angry, and wipe out everything you have achieved
Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities
Fear God instead and make sure you honor your commitments.
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MEMORY VERSE
It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. – Ecclesiastes 5:5
Read: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
Many of us who have experienced being a victim of broken promises would be glad to hear this verse from Ecclesiastes. When you hear people commit to something and not do it, it compromises their integrity and makes others distrust them when they don’t follow through with their commitments. God is a promise keeper so he wants us all to be like him when it comes to following through our vows.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to honor what you promise?
• Who is the best promise keeper?
• Why does God want us not to promise anything we can’t keep?
• How does a broken promise affect the one who gave the promise and the one who receives it?
• How are broken promises different to lying and dishonesty?
POWER OF MORE THAN ONE Poem Devotional
September 10
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POWER OF MORE THAN ONE
A poem by ILMA
Another example of something meaningless under the sun is being all alone
He is without a child or a brother but works hard to be as rich as he can
He asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why do I give up pleasures?
It doesn’t make sense; It is all so meaningless and depressing.
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed
If one person falls, someone is there to help the other
But someone who falls alone is in real trouble, they can’t get help
They end up suffering more since there is no one to support them.
Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm
But how can one be warm alone? They will find it hard to stay heated
A person standing alone can be defeated but two can stand back-to-back
Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
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MEMORY VERSE
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.
– Ecclesiastes 4:9
Read: Ecclesiastes 4:7-12
In these following verses, we see another futile and meaningless thing to do. Being alone and isolated is worthless. There is nothing more pathetic than to be all alone and not connect or be able to reach out and be with others. Isolation is the tool of the enemy to keep us away from others so that we will become more self-focused and self-absorbed and indulgent. God didn’t design us to be alone. When we do this, we are destroying the image that he created us to be.
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REFLECTION
• How do you know if you are isolating yourself from others? What might be the reason behind such decision to keep yourself away from others?
• Why do you think many mental and psychological illnesses associated with isolation?
• What are the effects of being with others as opposed to being isolated?