Bible League: Living His Word It is very sad that people leave the world just as they came. So what does a person gain from "trying to catch the wind"? They only get days that are filled with sadness and sorrow. In the end, they are troubled, sick, and angry.What does "trying to catch the wind" mean? It means that someone tries to catch something that cannot be caught. You can't catch the wind. You can't grasp hold of it and control it. People that try to catch the wind are trying to acquire something on a permanent basis that can't be acquired on a permanent basis. The things of this world are a good example. Some people live to acquire and accomplish things, but things have a way of slipping through their fingers. People who live to catch the wind, as a result, are unhappy people. They have to work hard to catch the uncatchable. They have to work hard to retain their things and their positions in this world. There's never a moment's rest, for the wind is never truly caught. It keeps blowing and you must keep chasing after it. In the end, it is nothing but trouble. In the end, it wears you out and makes you sick. In the end, there is only frustration and anger. Even if you could catch the wind during your lifetime you lose it when you die. The wind can't be taken with you. Job said, '"When I was born into this world, I was naked and had nothing. When I die and leave this world, I will be naked and have nothing"' (Job 1:21). It is a sad thing when people who live to catch the wind depart from this earth. They leave the same way they came in. They leave without having achieved their goal. If trying to catch the wind is a futile endeavor, what should a person do in life? What will lead to happiness, instead of sadness and sorrow? According to King Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, the "most important thing a person can do is to respect God and obey his commands" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The trouble with wind-chasers is that they look down to the transient things of this world for happiness and fulfillment instead of looking up to the eternal God of heaven and earth. Things come and go, but God remains forever. If you live to love and serve God, you will never lose what you have gained for your efforts. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJeremiah 46, 47, 48 Jeremiah 46 -- Jeremiah Prophesies the Overthrow of Pharaoh's Army at Euphrates NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jeremiah 47 -- Prophecy against the Philistines NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jeremiah 48 -- Prophecy against Moab NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Hebrews 4 Hebrews 4 -- The Sabbath-Rest; Jesus the Great High Priest NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.Insight Paul told the Colossian Christians not to let others criticize their diet or their religious ceremonies. Instead of outward observance, believers should focus on faith in Christ alone. Our worship, traditions, and ceremonies can help bring us close to God, but we should never criticize fellow Christians whose traditions and ceremonies differ from ours. More important than how we worship is that we worship Christ. Challenge Don't let anyone judge you. You are responsible to Christ. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word "Behold," is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me." How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favored people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; he cries, "How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?" O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of his people. He keeps his promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt him. He never faileth; he is never a dry well; he is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapor; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. "Behold," is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of his hands. "I have graven thee." It does not say, "Thy name." The name is there, but that is not all: "I have graven thee." See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when he has graven thee upon his own palms? Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 107:8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 31:19 How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men! Isaiah 43:21 "The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise. Ephesians 1:5,6,12 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, • to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. • to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. Zechariah 9:17 For what comeliness and beauty will be theirs! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins. Psalm 145:9-12 The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. • All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You. • They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power; • To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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