Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Ecclesiastes 3-4

Highlight Verses:

“So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Some consider Ecclesiastes to be rather hedonistic, emphasizing pleasure over eternity.

I don’t know about you, but

I don’t see anywhere in this book where it says to go out and sin because there are no consequences.

I also don’t see anywhere in the Bible where it tells us to have a miserable life.

Today’s highlight verses have nothing to do with sinning. Instead, they tell us to be happy and enjoy the gifts God has given.

These gifts include:

Food.
Employment to be able to afford the food.
Water and other beverages to drink.
And the very life that makes enjoyment possible.

The world around us has pushed the lie that you have to have sin to enjoy life.

Sin is like a greedy lender that lets you buy something you want right now but takes away the opportunity to buy stuff later because of the high cost of interest.

Sin may offer temporary pleasure now, but it steals pleasure and joy later.

Life lived in joyous relationship with God brings daily joy and pleasure in everything you do.

What brings you the most enjoyment in this life (remember to keep this family friendly)?
Have you ever had a time when your joy was robbed by the consequences of sin?
Did you get that joy back? How?