September 20
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ECCLESIASTES 7
7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun.
12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13 Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. – Ecclesiastes 7:7-14
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ECCLESIASTES 7 WHO CAN ALTER WHAT GOD HAS MADE
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
It is valuable to remember that God is in control in all things
He allows circumstances that are beyond us in this world for a reason
He is the designer of this universe and we cannot fathom it always
If you regret and resent what goes on in life, you will miss his promises.
Who can alter what God has made and what he allows man to go through?
No human can take control of his life or whatever is happening around
We are all part of the big plan and that he can do whatever he pleases with us
Because we serve an Almighty God who sees and knows all, let’s give him our trust.
It is folly to follow our sinful nature and be angry when things don’t go our way
The wise person looks at the perspective that God has in store for humans
Who can fix what God has made crooked? It is beyond our make to do so
Let us then allow the process of change to sink in our hearts so we can grow.
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REFLECTION
• Why do humans automatically react to change in a negative way?