Pleasures And Possessions
In Ecclesiastes 2:1-9 AMP, “The Teacher” describes the kinds of possessions he acquired and how much pleasure he had in enjoying them;
“...So I became great and excelled more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me. Whatever my eyes looked at with desire I did not refuse them. I did not withhold from my heart any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor; and this was my reward for all my labor…” Ecclesiastes 2:9-10 AMP.
At the end of it all, he said that everything he had acquired, and all the pleasures he had experienced were useless. (Ecclesiastes 2:11 paraphrased). God told Solomon there will never be anyone that will come after him that will be greater than him. Meaning, with all of our accomplishments today, so many centuries after King Solomon, there’s still no one that has acquired as much as he did. If you study the life of King Solomon, you’ll understand what true extravagance means. He was the definition of it. The sons of today seem to be in pursuit of that kind of life. We are amassing wealth, possessions, and pleasures and for most people, it comes at the cost of them losing themselves in the process. They lose their soul, they do not even care who they hurt or kill just to be rich. It’s that kind of pursuit that “The Teacher” is referencing to be futile because in the end, you will not take any of those things to the grave. This is in no way saying that it is wrong to work hard to acquire things. I am a strong believer in prosperity - I hate poverty with passion and I reject it with all of me BUT, if you’re acquiring wealth in evil ways, it’s pointless. If you do not use the wealth you have to serve God and His purposes, nor use it to bless humanity, then to “The Teacher’s” point, it is futile.
What I’d like for us to meditate on this week is, what is your motivation in acquiring wealth, possessions and pleasures? Are you thriving in your pursuit of wealth or you’re losing your soul and hurting others in the process? How is your life, your resources and possessions blessing people? I pray that the Lord will guide our hearts in our pursuit of prosperity and pleasures.
XOXO,
Lady Abena.
Nothing New Under The Sun
Did you read the blog from Jan 29, 2023 yet? In it, I shared that we will be embarking on a journey with “The Teacher” in the next few weeks. “The Teacher” said in Ecclesiastes 1:9 NLT that, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.”
One of my favorite channels on TV is the History Channel. I really like their documentaries. One of the documentaries I watched which greatly impacted me was called “The Men Who Built America”. I’m no history buff, just a lady who’s very curious about what happened before I was born. I like to learn about how people lived back then, what challenges they faced, were they happy in those times, are we more miserable now than they were? Was life much simpler and more prim? Did the people anticipate that a day will come when we will be living in this generation of high level technology and all? You just name it and I think about all of it. A few times in a day, I allow my mind and spirit to drift into realms I can’t fully explain in words. Some days, I’m just assessing everything that’s playing out in life, comparing and contrasting what was, what is and anticipating what is yet to come.
Truthfully, life seems like a recycle of events and happenings. We are just different players but the playing field hasn’t changed. Everything that happens now has happened in the past and will repeat itself in the future - just that the turn of events and how we react and counteract situations might be different. So, in all truth, “The Teacher” is correct - We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. Everything is meaningless because it’s a repetitive cycle that we live in. (Ecclesiastes 1: 11, 2 NLT paraphrased).
In my own words, I’ll say that do the most you can while you can. Whatever you’re experiencing now has happened before and will be history in the future. There’s really nothing new under the sun because nothing stays forever except God.
XOXO,
Lady Abena.
Declarations for February 2023
This past week has been grueling for me in many forms. So much so that I felt a weakness and weariness in me - physically and spiritually and I’ve spent my weekend trying to RESET. Sometime this afternoon, I was praying and I asked God to fight for me, avenge me and protect me because I feel quite weak. I heard a condemning voice that said “ why should God fight for you?” Immediately I heard the voice of God speak to me through with this exact scripture;
“My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:8 AMP
Oh how blessed we are that the spirit of God can intercept any wrong voice that is not from Him.
So I declare upon my life and yours, that in this month of February, whichever way the enemy will swing his arrows, try to break down our walls and defenses, create havoc and chaos in our lives,
- may the Power of God which has been perfected in our lives, be made stronger in our weaknesses and in every situation.
- We will not be afraid because He is our God and He is with us.
- Our God will strengthen us, He will help us in any and every situation.
- We will stay strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
- As we wait on the Lord daily, He shall renew our strength and we will mount up with wings like eagles. We will run and not be weary, we will walk and not faint.
I declare it is so and so it is in Jesus’ name. AMEN!
XOXO,
Lady Abena.