Daily Reading
Daily Thought
The preacher of Ecclesiastes wishes to say that “wisdom is better than might” (Ecclesiastes 9:16), and it is, but truth is most powerful of all, and all must bow to it. Of a life lived under the sun, without reference to God, the truth asserts itself, and the preacher ends with what he began, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8). If this seems dismal, blame truth–“the Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth” (Ecclesiastes 12:10). There is no turning from truth; it cannot be avoided.
Life under the sun is all we see, but it is not all there is, and thus the preacher’s purpose in his somber words is to lift the eyes of our youth to see what cannot be seen, to what is above and beyond the sun, to our Creator. Some are criticized as being so heavenly minded they are no earthly good, but the truth is we tend to be so earthly minded we are no heavenly good. This is a message best learned young, to dash our hopes early of ever finding meaning in the pleasures and pursuits of this life; “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Do not live for the moment, rather live beyond the sun, each moment for eternity.
Daily Prayer
God of eternity, unseen but more real than all I can put my hands on in this world, strengthen my faith. May I live in wisdom and truth. May all my days reflect all of Yours.
My life is full of hope because of You. The more I live, the more I know what is truly important, and it is what I have but who I know. It is people and it is You. To love You and to love others, may that consume me, because that is forever. Everything is is chasing after the wind.
Amen
