[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Wednesday, November 14 2012 and a Prayer Request

[Paul]

Hello and good morning, afternoon or evening wherever in this world you happen to reside.  For us in North America it is still Wednesday, whereas you in other parts of this planet have on your calendar Thursday. Wherever you are, I hope that your day, morning or afternoon are going well.

A new author graces us today with her contribution.  Her name is Joyce A. Felske, and the title of her submitted article is "Give Glory To God," rendered as follows:

God let Solomon experience all the things in life so that he could evaluate the meaning of all he experienced. Then he could give us first-hand information that it is all meaningless without God.

In Ecclesiastes 2, we read that he was going to test pleasure to see whether that would bring satisfaction to a person's life. His purpose was to gratify the flesh with the good things that came his way and not give any glory to God.

It is not wrong to have beautiful homes, gardens, money, music, and all the best in life. Solomon said that he worked hard to accomplish all he had. This was his reward in life, but it had no real meaning for him without God. What did all these things do for him in the end? He would have to leave it all. You have heard the expression, "You cannot take it with you."

Solomon then looked at wisdom. This perhaps could be man with much learning and knowledge about things, a wise man. The fool is one who is blind and walks in darkness, not wanting to know much about anything.

If we admire great men who have much human wisdom and who have accomplished much, they gain no more in the end (without God) than the foolish man. They both die and are forgotten.

Hard work can be very rewarding. A person can look at what he accomplished in life and for a time be very satisfied, but there comes a day when he must leave it all to those who come after him. They will reap what he has sown, and they very often ruin all the hard work done before them. This seemed so meaningless to Solomon--even unfair.

Solomon realized that it is God who gives wealth, pleasure, wisdom, joy, and the reward of hard work to those who please Him. To sinners everything in life, including their wealth and pleasure, is meaningless because all will be gone sooner or later.

God gives many wonderful things in this life for us to enjoy. He has put within each one a desire for eternity. When we read Romans 1, we see that man is without excuse for not acknowledging god.

We will profit if we look at hard work, pleasure and wisdom as opportunities to give God the glory. If we do not seek to give God the glory, everything in life will be meaningless.

"To God be the glory!"

And there you have Sister Joyce's article for today.  I hope and pray that you benefited from her God-led writing.

The prayer request, as usual, is that as the on-call volunteer counselor for our local crisis pregnancy center from midnight to 6 a.m. eastern time on Thursday, that you would please pray that, should any lady call contemplating abortion, that the Lord would give me the write words to say, when to say them and how to say them.  On behalf of any callers, thanks for your prayers in this regard, as I know they will be appreciated.

And now until tomorrow evening when, Lord willing more quotes will be presented, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live. Your Christian friend and brother, Paul