Saturday, May 25, 2013
Ecclesiastes 2 (New International Version)
Ecclesiastes 2
Pleasures Are Meaningless
1 I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
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 men and women singers, and a harem [a] as well—the delights of the heart of man. 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 work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
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.
Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless
12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king's successor do than what has already been done?
13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.
15 Then I thought in my heart, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said in my heart, "This too is meaningless."
16 For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!
Toil Is Meaningless
17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
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Proverbs 25 (New International Version)
Proverbs 25
More Proverbs of Solomon
1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
4 Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for [a] the silversmith;
5 remove the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness.
6 Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men;
7 it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman. What you have seen with your eyes
8 do not bring [b] hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man's confidence,
10 or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation.
11 A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear.
13 Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.
15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
16 If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house— too much of you, and he will hate you.
18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.
19 Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.
20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
23 As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks.
24 Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.
28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
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Psalm 149 (New International Version)
Psalm 149
1 Praise the LORD. [a] Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.
4 For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.
6 May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron,
9 to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints. Praise the LORD.
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AFWIS Joins Operation World in Prayer for the French Republic in Europe
Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
May 25: France
France
French Republic
Europe
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 543,965 sq kmThe largest country in Western Europe.
Population: 62,636,580 Annual Growth: 0.53%
Capital: Paris
Urbanites: 77.8%
HDI Rank: 8 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 101 (33% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: French. Regional languages in decline. French is the first language of 136 million people worldwide Languages: 62 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 38,296,005 | 61.14 | -0.6 |
| Evangelicals | 603,192 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
Challenges for Prayer
Protestants were accepted at the Reformation, and at one stage some estimate that up to 25% of the French population had embraced the new teaching. But persecution (from the mid-16th Century until the late 18th Century), humanism and nominalism (in the last 200 years) have reduced this to 1.9% in 2010. Protestantism – though widely respected – is spiritually compromised by liberal theology, universalism and the acceptance of contradictory doctrinal and ethical views. Protestants are more numerous in Alsace and the south, but nominalism and decline are common. Yet there are staunch evangelical believers in most Reformed and Lutheran congregations. Pray for restoration to the faith and commitment shown by their martyr forebears.Evangelical Christians are few (1.0% across all confessions), split between many denominations and confessions. They demonstrate high levels of commitment and are a younger population than France’s average. Growth is steady, and a new congregation is planted almost every week. Pentecostals and charismatics are the fastest growing. This is all in the face of strong secularizing trends in public life. Pray for:
a) The public perception of evangelicals. To most French people, the evangelical message is still seen as an alien ideology of immigrant groups and of the American right wing rather than an indigenous expression of spirituality. This bias has led to discrimination and difficulties in dealing with local authorities. Pray for transparency and good conduct by evangelicals that will demonstrate the positive impact on society their faith can have.
b) Unity among true believers has made great strides in recent years. Most evangelicals can be found in member churches of the CNEF or the Fédération Protestante. Further cooperation is being planned, at times involving believing Catholics as well. Pray especially for a deepening of unity between the various immigrant churches and French indigenous congregations.
c) The fast-growing minority churches, especially Africans, Antilleans and Gypsies. More than 250 ethnic churches exist just in the greater Paris area, and more pop up every month. The passion and faith of these groups bring new verve to evangelicalism, but they suffer a negative bias from local government and media, which is generally but not always unearned. These minority churches tend to attract the poorest and most vulnerable of society, which is both an answer to and a challenge for prayer. Pastors tend to have little training or accountability. Pray for strengthening of the recent alliances formed for African churches (CEAF and ECOC) and for Caribbean churches (UEEHAC).
d) Physical and human resources are a key to church growth in France. Having a visible building gives the Church credibility. But pioneer churches have to face two challenges simultaneously: hiring a pastor and finding a building. Pray for God to provide solutions to these formidable challenges.
e) Vision for outreach. The deep malaise and emptiness of secular postmodernity create a hunger for truth and for those who live it out. French evangelicals are coming out of their shell to rediscover evangelism anew. The CNEF has picked up the vision started by France Mission to plant one church for every 10,000 people. France remains difficult ground for church planting; pray for the grace, endurance and faith needed to establish the 4,200 fellowships remaining to meet this goal.
For an additional 12 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of France.
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