September 8
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ECCLESIASTES 3
16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. 19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? – Ecclesiastes 3:16-22
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ECCLESIASTES 3 FINDING PEACE AND JOY IN WORK AND LIFE
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
If we look at this world we live in, we can be discouraged and scared
Injustices and wickedness abound and righteousness is a novelty and is rare
We can be consumed by the fear of the unknown and the danger around us
The future may seem so dark and desperately bleak and hopeless
We can worry ourselves to death and think about what’s going to happen
But all of these futile things humans do make their lives full of chaos and sadness
It is useless to worry about things that hasn’t come yet; we are not in control
Let us remember that it is a sin to be anxious; it shows our mistrust to the Lord.
Humans can be so concerned with their work and find their own value through it
But it can also make us lose our peace and joy if we do it for its own sake
The Lord gave us all the ability to work and to be productive in our lives
But if that gift of toil becomes an obsession, then we lose our joy and peace
Let us all be thankful that we have been made in God’s image and be fruitful
If we let God’s Spirit guide our lives, we will bear the Spirit’s fruit and be useful
Jesus is the only source of peace in this world; without him, we will perish
Count your blessings and all your abilities and opportunities and you will flourish.
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REFLECTION
• How can man easily turn a gift from God into a source of anxiety and worry?