Tag: gifts from God

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 – Enjoy Life

Read Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

God wants us to enjoy life, not trudge through each day just going through the motions. We often set unrealistic expectations on ourselves for what we can accomplish in a day and end up feeling like we failed. Here we’re told that God has given us the work we are to do. What is that work for you?

If we’re focusing on what God wants, and we already know that his timing is perfect, then our day should go exactly like it should. If we are enjoying the life God has given us, living it to please him, then we have accomplished something very great. There are plenty of people who don’t have this connection to God and are not feeling fulfilled.

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James 1:9-18 – Humility

Read James 1:9-18

One of the basic themes of James’ letter is that God exalts the poor and humbles the rich. Why does he do that? It’s so only the humble can boast. Think about that for a second. When we allow God to work in our lives and give God the credit for what we have accomplished, our whole mindset shifts. Who gets the glory? Certainly not us, and rightly so.

Even Paul was clear on this. He told us he was glad to boast about his weaknesses because that showed God at work when he overcame times of adversity. Our text here in James is using the example of being poor and rich. James may be recalling Psalm 49:6 which reads, “They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches.” Think about some wealthy people you know. Do they humble themselves before God and give God the credit for their abundance? Or are they more like the one described by the psalmist?

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Jeremiah 40:13-41:18 – What a Gift!

Read Jeremiah 40:13-41:18

small colorful wrapped gifts with bows

Why do you think Gedaliah didn’t believe that Ishmael would be plotting against him? Was it that hard to believe that his own people would rise up? Clearly Gedaliah was in denial believing that he was somehow safe because of his association with the Babylonians. Apparently, that same association made him unpopular and perhaps an easy target.

Gedaliah’s own military leader tried to warn him that Ishmael was being used by the king of Ammon to kill Gedaliah. I wrote about this event from the perspective in 2 Kings 25. We now see what happened through Jeremiah’s eyes. If the target was the newly appointed governor, there was collateral damage when Ishmael went on a killing spree.

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