The Teacher describes an individual who seems to have everything yetpossesses nothing worthwhile. - P102
A person can gain wealth, possessions, and honor, but if they cannot appreciate that these things are gifts fromGod, they cannot enjoy them. - P102
A person can search for wisdom and the answers to all of life‘s questions, but without accepting the knowledgeof God as truth, they are no better than a fool. - P102
The world promotes theimage of the self-made person who decides how they define themselvesand determines their own fate. - P102
The wisdom of Scripture, however, es-teems those who submit to the sovereignty of God and accept what Heordains and determines. - P102
The truly wise are those who are able to gladlyreceive all things from God‘s hands-both the pleasant and the un-pleasant and are able to trust Him in the highs and the lows. - P102
They arethe ones who, though seemingly possessing nothing, have everything. - P102
Dear Jesus, thank you for all the ways, seen and unseen, in which You haveblessed us. Thank you for giving Yourself to us and for us. You are the mostprecious gift we could ever receive. In Your name, amen. - P103
Christians in Egypt face persecution mainly from other members of their community. - P102
Persecution can range from street harassment to Christians being forced out of their homes. Believersin Upper Egypt, which is more conservatively Muslim, are most vulnerable to attack. - P102
Whilethe Egyptian government publicly supports Christians, it does very little to protect those atrisk. - P102
Ask God to change the hearts of the nation‘s leaders, that they would not discriminateagainst Christians and instead work to ensure their safety. - P102
The West Coast Bajau of Sabah, Malaysia, belong to a cluster of peoples generally known tooutsiders as "Bajau." Traditionally, the Bajau were sea-nomads, and some continue to derivetheir livelihood from the sea. - P102
Islam is an essential part of the Bajau cultural identity, but theyalso practice traditional animistic beliefs. There are very few Christians among the West CoastBajau. - P102
Pray that God would embolden neighboring believers to go to the West Coast Bajauand share the gospel with them. - P102
|