Through the Bible – Day 266

₁I thought about these things. Then I understood that God has power over everyone, even those of us who are wise and live right. Anything can happen to any of us, and so we never know if life will be good or bad. ₂But exactly the same thing will finally happen to all of us, whether we live right and respect God or sin and don't respect God. Yes, the same thing will happen if we offer sacrifices to God or if we don't, if we keep our promises or break them.

₃It's terribly unfair for the same thing to happen to each of us. We are mean and foolish while we live, and then we die. ₄As long as we are alive, we still have hope, just as a live dog is better off than a dead lion. ₅We know that we will die, but the dead don't know a thing. Nothing good will happen to them—they are gone and forgotten. ₆Their loves, their hates, and their jealous feelings have all disappeared with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens on this earth.

₇Be happy and enjoy eating and drinking! God decided long ago that this is what you should do. ₈Dress up, comb your hair, and look your best. ₉Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is what you are supposed to do as you struggle through life on this earth. ₁₀Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or knows anything.

₁₁Here is something else I have learnt:

₁₂None of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap.

₁₃Once I saw what people really think of wisdom. ₁₄It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls. ₁₅But the city was saved by the wisdom of a poor person who was soon forgotten. ₁₆So I decided that wisdom is better than strength. Yet if you are poor, no one pays any attention to you, no matter how clever you are.

₅Some things rulers do are terribly unfair: ₆they honour fools, but dishonour the rich; ₇they let slaves ride on horses, but force slave owners to walk.

₅No one can explain how a baby breathes before it is born. So how can anyone explain what God does? After all, he created everything.

₆Plant your seeds early in the morning and keep working in the field until dark. Who knows? Your work might pay off, and your seeds might produce.

₇Nothing on earth is more beautiful than the morning sun. ₈Even if you live to a ripe old age, you should try to enjoy each day, because darkness will come and will last a long time. Nothing makes sense.

₉Be cheerful and enjoy life while you are young! Do what you want and find pleasure in what you see. But don't forget that God will judge you for everything you do.

₁₀Rid yourself of all worry and pain, because the wonderful moments of youth quickly disappear.

₁Keep your Creator in mind while you are young! In years to come, you will be burdened down with troubles and say, “I don't enjoy life any more.”

₉I was a wise teacher with much understanding, and I collected a number of proverbs that I had carefully studied. ₁₀Then I tried to explain these things in the best and most accurate way.

₁₁Words of wisdom are like the stick a farmer uses to make animals move. These sayings come from God, our only shepherd, and they are like nails that fasten things together. ₁₂My child, I warn you to stay away from any teachings except these.

₁₃Everything you were taught can be put into a few words:

₁₆If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. ₁₇The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. ₁₈But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.

₁₉People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. ₂₀They worship idols, practise witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are ₂₁envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: no one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.

₂₂God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, ₂₃gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. ₂₄And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. ₂₅God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. ₂₆But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.

₁My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself. ₂You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.

₃If you think you are better than others, when you really aren't, you are wrong. ₄Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others. ₅We each must carry our own load.

₆Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.

₇You cannot fool God, so don't make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. ₈If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. ₉Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up. ₁₀We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.

₁₁You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand.

₁₂Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don't want to get into trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ. ₁₃They are circumcised, but they don't obey the Law of Moses. All they want is to boast about having you circumcised. ₁₄But I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I am concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned.

₁₅It doesn't matter if you are circumcised or not. All that matters is that you are a new person.

₁₆If you follow this rule, you will belong to God's true people. God will treat you with undeserved kindness and will bless you with peace.

₁₇On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus. So I don't want anyone to bother me any more.

₁₈My friends, I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you! Amen.