Morning Grace

In my vain life I have seen everything; there are righteous people who perish in their righteousness, and there are wicked people who prolong their life in their evildoing.  Do not be too righteous, and do not act too wise; why should you destroy yourself?  Do not be too wicked, and do not be a fool; why should you die before your time?  It is good that you should take hold of the one, without letting go of the other; for the one who fears God shall succeed with both. Wisdom gives strength to the wise more than ten rulers that are in a city. Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning. Do not give heed to everything that people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you;  your heart knows that many times you have yourself cursed others. All this I have tested by wisdom; I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me.  That which is, is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?  I turned my mind to k...

- Choose one of this week's passages from Ecclesiastes to be your prayer focus for today. They are: Eccl. 5:1-12 Eccl. 5:13-20 Eccl. 6 Eccl. 7:1-14 - Read the passage again and identify a word or phrases that jump out at you. - Read the passage again, and if possible read from a different translation ( biblegateway.com  has many translations you can choose from). Identify where this passage might be touching your life today. How is this relevant to your life? - Read the passage a third time, again in a different translation if possible. Ask yourself what God is calling you to do or to be from this passage. What change might God be moving your toward? - Close with a silent prayer, listening to God rather than speaking to God. What actions will you take today based on this prayer? - Recite the Lord's Prayer.

A good name is better than precious ointment,      and the day of death, than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning      than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone,      and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter,      for by sadness of countenance the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning;      but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise      than to hear the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,      so is the laughter of fools;      this also is vanity. Surely oppression makes the wise foolish,      and a bribe corrupts the heart. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning;      the patient in spirit are ...

- Choose one of this week's passages from Ecclesiastes to be your prayer focus for today. They are: Eccl. 11:7-10 Eccl. 12:1-8 Eccl. 12:9-12 Eccl. 12:13-14 - Read the passage again and identify a word or phrases that jump out at you. - Read the passage again, and if possible read from a different translation ( biblegateway.com  has many translations you can choose from). Identify where this passage might be touching your life today. How is this relevant to your life? - Read the passage a third time, again in a different translation if possible. Ask yourself what God is calling you to do or to be from this passage. What change might God be moving your toward? - Close with a silent prayer, listening to God rather than speaking to God. What actions will you take today based on this prayer? - Recite the Lord's Prayer.

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy upon humankind:  those to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that they lack nothing of all that they desire, yet God does not enable them to enjoy these things, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous ill.  A man may beget a hundred children, and live many years; but however many are the days of his years, if he does not enjoy life’s good things, or has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.  For it comes into vanity and goes into darkness, and in darkness its name is covered;  moreover it has not seen the sun or known anything; yet it finds rest rather than he.  Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to one place? All human toil is for the mouth, yet the appetite is not satisfied.  For what advantage have the wise over fools? And what do the poor have who know how to conduct thems...

There is a grievous ill that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owners to their hurt,  and those riches were lost in a bad venture; though they are parents of children, they have nothing in their hands.  As they came from their mother’s womb, so they shall go again, naked as they came; they shall take nothing for their toil, which they may carry away with their hands.  This also is a grievous ill: just as they came, so shall they go; and what gain do they have from toiling for the wind?  Besides, all their days they eat in darkness, in much vexation and sickness and resentment. This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot.  Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil—this is the gift of God....

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for they do not know how to keep from doing evil.   Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few. For dreams come with many cares, and a fool’s voice with many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay fulfilling it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you vow.  It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not fulfill it.  Do not let your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake; why should God be angry at your words, and destroy the work of your hands? With many dreams come vanities and a multitude of words;  but fear God. If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and right, do not be amazed at the matter; for...

- Choose one of this week's passages from Ecclesiastes to be your prayer focus for today. They are: Eccl. 3:1-11a Eccl. 3:11b Eccl. 3:12-22 Eccl. 4 - Read the passage again and identify a word or phrases that jump out at you. - Read the passage again, and if possible read from a different translation ( biblegateway.com  has many translations you can choose from). Identify where this passage might be touching your life today. How is this relevant to your life? - Read the passage a third time, again in a different translation if possible. Ask yourself what God is calling you to do or to be from this passage. What change might God be moving your toward? - Close with a silent prayer, listening to God rather than speaking to God. What actions will you take today based on this prayer? - Recite the Lord's Prayer.

Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed—with no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power—with no one to comfort them.  And I thought the dead, who have already died, more fortunate than the living, who are still alive;  but better than both is the one who has not yet been, and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. Fools fold their hands and consume their own flesh. Better is a handful with quiet,   than two handfuls with toil  and a chasing after wind. Again, I saw vanity under the sun:  the case of solitary individuals, without sons or brothers; yet there is no end to all their toil, and their eyes are never satisfied with riches. “For whom am I toiling,” they ask, “and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vani...

I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live;  moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.  I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him.  That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by. Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well.  I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.  I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals.  For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the s...