If You Have Wealth, Enjoy It as God Enables Look! I have discovered what is good and fitting: to eat and to drink and ?to enjoy? all the fruit of the toil with which one toils under the sun during the number of the days of his life that God gives to him—for this is his lot. 19 This indeed is a gift of God: everyone to whom God gives wealth and possessions, he also empowers him ?to enjoy them?, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in the fruit of his toil. 20 For he does not remember the brief days of his life, for God keeps his heart preoccupied with enjoyment of life…
+ DAILY PRAYER +
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 130
Psa 130:1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
Psa 130:2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
Psa 130:3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord,
who could stand?
Psa 130:4 But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
Psa 130:5 I wait for the LORD,
my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
Psa 130:6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
Psa 130:7 O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
Psa 130:8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Reading for Wednesday October 1st Eccl 5:18-6:6
If You Have Wealth, Enjoy It as God Enables
18 Look! I have discovered what is good and fitting: to eat and to drink and ?to enjoy? all the fruit of the toil with which one toils under the sun during the number of the days of his life that God gives to him—for this is his lot. 19 This indeed is a gift of God: everyone to whom God gives wealth and possessions, he also empowers him ?to enjoy them?, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in the fruit of his toil. 20 For he does not remember the brief days of his life, for God keeps his heart preoccupied with enjoyment of life.
Those Who Have Wealth but Do Not Enjoy It Are Pitiful
6 Here is another misfortune that I have seen under the sun, and it is prevalent among humankind. 2 God gives a man wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; yet God does not enable him to enjoy it—instead someone else ends up enjoying it. This is vanity—indeed, it is a grievous ill!
3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, if his heart is not satisfied with ?his prosperity? and ?he does not receive a proper burial?, I deem the stillborn better than him. 4 For he comes into vanity and departs into darkness, and his name is shrouded in darkness. 5 He has neither seen nor known the sun, yet he has more rest than him. 6 Even if a man lives a thousand years twice, if he does not enjoy ?prosperity?, ?both suffer the same fate?!
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
Eternal God, You counsel us not to be anxious about earthly things. Keep alive in us a proper yearning for those heavenly treasures awaiting all who trust in Your mercy, that we may daily rejoice in Your salvation and serve You with devotion; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts to direct and rule us to do Your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
