Ecclesiastes
5:19
"Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth,
and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his
portion, and to rejoice in his labour;
this is the gift of God."
There
are people who were orphaned at an early age; elderly who have no one to care
for them; folks with severe illness for which they cannot afford proper medical
care. Children are hungry and families are irreparably
broken. With
all the many difficulties that people experience in life, I realized how sad it
is that those of us who by the grace of God do not suffer greatly, often
fail to fully appreciate the blessings that we have been given. Instead, too
many of us, too many times, do not recognize the gifts that we have been given.
Even worse, sometimes we squander them.
While so many people would do anything to have a parent around, others fail to keep in touch with theirs or get into petty fights with the people who gave them life. While many people lack any sort of family, others neglect the family they are blessed with, never making the time to be with them. While some people struggle to buy the basics, like food and medication, others are blessed to afford vacations, but then complain that the flight was delayed, or that the food was too cold at the restaurant, or that the bed in the hotel was uncomfortable.
We might have houses, but are unhappy with their size or that they haven’t been updated lately while others scramble for shelter on a daily basis. We resent expensive health care, but there are plenty of people who have no medical help at all. The list goes on and on. It’s one thing not to recognize our many gifts from God, but it’s another to waste them by not enjoying them to the fullest.
When God gives us a gift, we must make sure that we enjoy it. Anything less makes us ungrateful and simply foolish. If you wouldn’t throw out a million dollars, don’t let go of the invaluable relationships with your family. If you wouldn’t dispose of an expensive piece of jewelry, don’t let the gifts of health, provisions, and abilities go to waste. Enjoy every moment and every blessing. There is enough suffering in the world; we need not add more by throwing away the wondrous gifts we have been given.
While so many people would do anything to have a parent around, others fail to keep in touch with theirs or get into petty fights with the people who gave them life. While many people lack any sort of family, others neglect the family they are blessed with, never making the time to be with them. While some people struggle to buy the basics, like food and medication, others are blessed to afford vacations, but then complain that the flight was delayed, or that the food was too cold at the restaurant, or that the bed in the hotel was uncomfortable.
We might have houses, but are unhappy with their size or that they haven’t been updated lately while others scramble for shelter on a daily basis. We resent expensive health care, but there are plenty of people who have no medical help at all. The list goes on and on. It’s one thing not to recognize our many gifts from God, but it’s another to waste them by not enjoying them to the fullest.
When God gives us a gift, we must make sure that we enjoy it. Anything less makes us ungrateful and simply foolish. If you wouldn’t throw out a million dollars, don’t let go of the invaluable relationships with your family. If you wouldn’t dispose of an expensive piece of jewelry, don’t let the gifts of health, provisions, and abilities go to waste. Enjoy every moment and every blessing. There is enough suffering in the world; we need not add more by throwing away the wondrous gifts we have been given.
Amen!
Reading: Eccl. 5:18-20
Ref: HG SB
May God Bless You
And Your Family
Minister Robert Lail Sr.
The Cross Life Ministry
OH MY GOODNESS! Talk about perspective...you nailed it! And as i read it (coming from being a military spouse perspective) i remembered what the military taught us...we are all one, no man left behind, you take care of each other... We have to bring others up with us for what is the joy of reaching the top of the mountain if there is no one to share it with!
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOODNESS! Talk about perspective...you nailed it! And as i read it (coming from being a military spouse perspective) i remembered what the military taught us...we are all one, no man left behind, you take care of each other... We have to bring others up with us for what is the joy of reaching the top of the mountain if there is no one to share it with!
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