18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart." Ecclesiastes 5.I believe "Gifts of God" are everywhere.....and once we start looking for and recognizing them, they become more and more apparent and frequent. Be glad in your heart.........
Have a beautiful Sunday.........enjoy your 'toil' of the week; be happy in that toil for what you and yours gain from it. I hope you find a minute to read all of the Ecclesiastes chapter; there's a lot of good stuff in there...
Blessings, Z
12 comments:
Z - That is true that there are gifts of God for us everyday. We just have to look for them and recognize what they are.
He is good to us.
Hope your Sunday is good - Z.
Same to you, Sue, thanks.
I found this quote fascinating in its words that God gives us wealth and wants us to enjoy it.
I think he means not only financial wealth but spiritual wealth/happiness/fulfillment, too, don't you?
Yes, he IS good to us.
Excellent lesson. God loves us all and we all have our place in His universe. Plus, I keep praying the Lord will smite me with wealth ... and may I never recover. :) Nah, just kidding, I'm happy. We get by. We're not rich but we eat good!
Happy Sunday Z. God bless. ~:)
Just, WOW! " it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot "
This actually goes back to the Phil Robertson story. His parents, like my parents, probably hammered this idea into his head as a youngster, and we were always expected to have a job doing something.
My Dad had me delivering newspapers at age 12, and buying my own clothes which was OK as I didn't trust his or Mom's choices. This continued throughout high school, and I continued working through college as a radio/tv station engineer.
With respect to the race issue, I don't believe there was anyway a black kid could have had the chances I had in broadcast radio, unless he was a really cool blues DJ. We had some good ones in Memphis like Rufus Thomas, Dewey Phillips, etc.
So, from Phil's perspective it was an assumption that even black people were happy with their lot in life as that is what our churches, and parents, taught us.
Sorry, Dewey Phillips was a white DJ. The primary AM radio station for black people was WDIA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WDIA
It was a landmark station in that it was the first station in America programmed for black people.
" it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor"
their toilsome labor
not mine.
Thanks for this inspired post. It inspired me to go back to re-read the chapter. Much to contemplate, starting with the opening: "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear." A great reminder that we walk in humility, and it should be a god-ordered life.
Sparky, what a fabulously upbeat comment! Thanks for that :-)
Yes, being smited with big wealth would be nice!
I just loved how God wants us to have abundance and to enjoy it; we get so into the "give it all away, live like a monk and you'll be blessed" hoopla....Why are we happy to buy the sterner things in the Bible and not rejoice in the happy stuff?!
Bob...EXACTLY!
And regarding the black kids and their opportunities. I'm 100% with you on that; though I do believe Phil's friends understood that he, too, was picking cotton and was their friend, so why complain to HIM? They had good families, they loved life and looked for reasons to be happy. Of course life was harder for them; they did NOT have the same opportunities but they didn't expect them! They didn't know better, sadly.
Happily, we've come to the point where they CAN expect opportunities now and many are taking advantage and flourishing from those opportunities.
Ed; shhhh! (don't tell anybody, but that WAS the point behind this 'faith blog' today; I usually don't get political, but when I ran across this in Ecclesiastes, I knew I should share it for that very reason) :-)
Baysider..Ecclesiastes can be read as a REAL downer "all is vanity"...but it's a kind of comforting thought to me. God is everything. Period. All else is rubbish.
"It was a landmark station in that it was the first station in America programmed for black people."
Could anyone listen in?
"Could anyone listen in?"
WDIA might have been the most listened to station in Memphis. Another station oriented to blacks went on the air, later, and I believe that it was part of a chain of nationwide stations programmed for black people.
Both stations played lots of R&B, which became popular with lots of white kids, Elvis Presley included.
The station in Memphis that really promoted Elvis was WHBQ, and DJ George Klein achieved pretty much lifetime notability in the radio for being Elvis's buddy.
I went to work for a daytime country music station, KWAM, which had and FM station, KLYX. Working my way through college was problematic putting in 48 hours per week, at first. I also had to serve a board shift reading news and commercials. I got fairly good at it, and then found a lot better job as the night time transmitter engineer at a prominent TV station.
Life was busy. but good.
"Ed; shhhh! (don't tell anybody,..."
Your secret is safe with me.
Bob, it all sounds fascinating. Thank goodness for Motown, which opened black music to us all....I LOVED anything Motown (especially Marvin Gaye!)
Ed...thanks. I knew I could trust you :-)
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