Thought for January 6

 History:

• 1494: Columbus celebrates first Mass in the americas--Haiti
• 1858: Conversion of Charles Spurgeon
• 1893: Washington National Cathedral chartered by Congress
• 1907: Maria Montessori opens her first school in Rome
• 1912: Alfred Wagener presents theory of continental drift
• 1929: Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta
• 1940: Mass execution of Poles by Nazis
• 1941: Roosevelt makes the Four Freedoms Speech [speech, worship, want fear]. Norman Rockwell created beautiful art to picture these freedoms.
• 1963: Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom premiers with Marlin Perkins
• 1975: Wheel of Fortune premiers
• 1994: Nancy Kerrigan attacked in Detroit
• Born: John Smith [Jamestown], Sherlock Holmes [according to the book], Carl Sandburg, Tom Mix, Sam Rayburn, Khalil Gibran, Danny Thomas, Loretta Young, Cary Middlecoff, Earl Scruggs, John DeLorean, El Doctorow, Lou Holtz, Nancy Lopez, Paul Azinger, Jameis Winston
• Died: Gregor Mendel, Theodore Roosevelt, Naimat Ahmer [Christian stabbed 17 times for saying Jesus is the only way to God], Dizzy Gillespie, Rudolph Nureyev, Lou Rawls

Thought:

The last half of Ecclesiastes 5 speaks of the problems with riches. As we start a new year, maybe these verse contain some wisdom for me.

Riches

• Do not satisfy [5:10]. This is hard to accept. If I was rich, I would have everything I want and be satisfied. Wrong. It seems the more we have the more we want. Or because we have much and spend it foolishly, we now have more expenses [5:11]. Reminds me of the farmer who said, "I do not want all the land, just all that is adjacent to mine." Also reminds me of the dog in the commercial years ago--the dog has a bone in his mouth and looks in the water and sees his reflection, a dog with a bone in his mouth. The dog opens his mouth to grab the other bone and his bone fall into the water and is lost. 
• Cause us to hoard [5:13]. Sounds like the rich man in the New Testament who was blessed with much and then said he would build more barns to hold his stuff. That night his soul was required of him. 

Solomon's conclusion: Enjoy what God gives. If God gives riches, enjoy them and use them for God's glory. [5:18-20]

Now, reading these verses again causes me to ask, what are riches? Solomon is talking about physical wealth, but for me this year, what are riches? What do you want to be rich in at the end of 2023? Do you want to look at your bank account of brokerage account and go, "what a great year I had." Or do you want to check your joy account and say , "I am overflowing with joy." Or peace, or friends, or grace, or mercy. What do you want to be rich in this year? I want to spend my time seeking the things that will not rust, will not be eaten by moths, will not go out of style or lose value. So Jesus says, "seek first my kingdom." 

Lord, help me to seek Your kingdom first this year and then allow You to add whatever You think best. 

Blessings

Larry