Ecclesiastes 2:4-11, Hebrews 13:5

Ecclesiastes 2
 ⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. ¹⁰ I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. ¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Hebrews 13

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

These 2 passages spoke to me reminding me that contentment in God is more important than whatever material things we can have in this world - which are just temporal. Like houses.

1 Kings 11:1-4, 14, 23

¹King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. ⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

The wisest man who ever lived!!! I was wondering how could he have been soooo stupid? Perhaps this could be attributed to lies he told himself? That it was alright? Still, how could he have justified such actions? A direct disregard of God's clear command.

I better take note of this - that if the wisest man who ever lived could fall for sin like this, how much more someone like me? I must continue to pull out tempatation triggers and put in holiness habits to avoid this. 

¹⁴ Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.

 ²³ And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

What struck me about these 2 verses is that it was God who raised up adversaries against Solomon!!! Why? As a punishment? Perhaps it was more as an act to discipline him. In my life, I can think of "adversaries" whom God raised up against me - and while it was not pleasant, it was used to make me into a better person. 

Proverbs 24:19-20

¹⁹ Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked,
²⁰ for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out. 

This was a timely reminder from God that although some people may seem to get away with their wrong-doing, they will not escape God's righteous judgement. They will get their just-deserts in the end.

Proverbs 21:31

³¹ The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. 

This reminded me a little of the camp message - God has a role and so do we. God' role is to do the work of God. Man's role is to do the work of man. Man cannot do the work of God. God will not do the work of man.

I must prepare myself - but at the same time realise that it is God who will give me the result.

Proverbs 18: 22, 19:14, 21

Proverbs 18  

²² He who finds a wife finds what is good
    and receives favor from the Lord.  

Proverbs 19

 ¹⁴ Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

Thank you Lord for your blessing on me! =) Help me to appreciate her more and more each day.

 Proverbs 19

²¹ Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Lord, let your will be done in my current situation - and help me to have the strength to accept it.

Hebrews 12:7-11; Proverbs 15:5, 10, 31, 32

Hebrews 12

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline —then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Discipline does not necessarily mean punishment. God disciplines ALL his children - obedient ones and otherwise - because he loves us all.

When I face whatever hardship, I should remember that God is allowing me to go thru it - it is not by accident or coincidence. Discipline is never pleasant but it will in the end make me a much better child of God. 

Proverbs 15

⁵ A fool spurns a parent’s discipline,
    but whoever heeds correction shows prudence. 

 ¹⁰ Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path;
    the one who hates correction will die. 

 ³¹ Whoever heeds life-giving correction
    will be at home among the wise.

 ³² Those who disregard discipline despise themselves,
    but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.

These Proverbs also reminded me the inportance of having the humility to accept correction - that I am far from perfect, and God can use other people to correct me.  I pray that I may be able to swallow my pride and allow myself to be corrected - for his glory.

Hebrews 11:39-40

³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 

God has a plan for me - not the temporal material things, but something that will last forever and is worth so much more than what this world can give.

I need to have faith in God - and set my mind on things above, not things of this world.