Daily Bible Study

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Day 307 (Ecclesiastes 2:26) God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner, He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. Do you wonder why you go to work and do the same thing every day? Do you wonder about the purpose of your routine when you don’t see any headway in your life? Do you wonder why the people you work for have everything and you have nothing? Then do you wonder how someone you work with, making the same wage, has more than you, can go on vacations to nice locations, and has more joy in his life than you? Solomon said God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to good men, men who put their trust in Him, but to the sinner, those who don’t trust or believe in God, the work he does goes to those who trust God. Which side of the coin are you on? Do you trust God, or do you trust in yourself? As Christians, you should be on the receiving end of God’s goodness. You should live with joy, wisdom, and knowledge because God is your Father and Jesus is your Savior and Lord. Yet many Christians live one day at a time, eking out a living that goes into someone else’s pockets. Why? Why do you go through the motions of life and not live according to the promises God has for you in His Word? For those Christians, eking out a living and going through the motions of life, they accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, but don’t live for Him. They don’t go to church, open their Bibles, pray, or spend time with Him. Nothing changed in their lives except their claim to being a Christian. As Solomon would say, this too is grasping at the wind. When Christians seek God, claim His promises, go to church, read their Bibles, and pray, they will see a change in their lives. They will start seeing their wages going farther than they did before. They can plan vacations and go to destinations they only dreamt about. They will be the ones envied by their coworkers because they can do more than them. What changed? Their faith. Which side of this coin are you on? Are you a Christian who has not? Or are you a Christian who has because you trust in God and His promises? What changes do you need to make in your life? Remember the parable Jesus taught about the ten virgins? Five had oil in their lamps and five did not. When the shout came that the bridegroom was coming, the five without oil asked for oil from those who had but were told to go and buy oil. When they returned to the festivities, they weren’t allowed in. The bridegroom told them He didn’t know them. (Matthew 25:1-13) “Then the kingdom of heaven will be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. At midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Don’t be foolish. Trust God and Jesus, your Savior and Lord. Then you will always have your lamps trimmed, ready for the day Jesus returns for His bride. No longer will you be grasping for the wind, but living in the wisdom, knowledge, and joy of Jesus your Savior. Let’s pray: Father, let me be a person of wisdom, knowledge, and joy as I stand on Your promises and spend time with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 16 May 2023 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay