Daily Devotional, Year 2 – SEPTEMBER 14 (As The Flower of the Field, Part 7: “How Dieth the Wise? As the Fool!”)

By admin On February 5th, 2021

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – SEPTEMBER 14

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As The Flower of the Field,

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Part 7:

“How Dieth the Wise? As the Fool!”

To read Part 1, click here… “March 19th (As the Flower of the Field!)”

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“Then said I in my heart,

***As it happeneth to the fool, so it* *happeneth*** even to me (Solomon);

and why was I then more wise?

Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

For there is no remembrance of the wise

more than of the fool for ever;

seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten.

And how dieth the wise man? as the fool!”

Ecclesiastes 2:15, 16

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One man was lamenting to a friend about his grandson, and all the trouble he was going through in his short life of 21 years.

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The friend replied… “Well, you know,

each person has to make choices.

And if you make good choices, things are going to go well for you.

But if you make bad choices, things are going to go badly.”

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To this comment, the grandfather answered…

“Well, that’s true. My grandson makes a lot of bad decisions.

But does that make his situation any less tragic?

And does that mean that I should be any less sympathetic toward my grandson’s suffering and sorrow?”

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Punk with Mohawk haircut – cropped and altered image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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CAUSE-AND-EFFECT

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Back in Jesus’ earthly sojourn, the sect known as the Pharisees were the guardians of moral standards in Israel of that day.

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And these rulers held a very “cause-and-effect” viewpoint about life. And so, these self-righteous moralists attributed much, or most human tragedies and human sufferings to be the result of bad decision-making.

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James Tissot – The Pharisee and Publican – Brooklyn Museum & Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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A WORLD OF CHOICES

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Well, it truly is a world which requires many decisions to be made, both big and small.

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And it is also true that many people have the habit of making bad decisions, while others seem to make better decisions, generally speaking.

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And it has been proven over and over that good decision-making tends to result in a much happier life.

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Male – female symbol – Wikimedia – GNU General License

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But all this information is probably nothing new to the Reader. These concepts are merely basic concepts of life.

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But the question that today’s devotional would like to ask is this: “So what? What difference does it really make, if I am a bad decision-maker or a good one? Don’t we all go to the same place?”

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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SIDE-BY-SIDE FOREVER!

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Listen to the Wise Man once again…. “And how dieth the wise man? as the fool!” Ecclesiastes 2:16

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Oh yes, the good decision-maker is probably going to enjoy life more than the fool.

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But as this above verse laments, both the fool and the wise man end up in the same place! The grave! Lying right next to each other!

Wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery – Wikipedia – Public Dom.

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PLANET EARTH: A GIANT GRAVEYARD!

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Just think about it! The earth is the grave for all previous generations of those who have lived before us! Billions of souls who lived out their lives upon this planet. And some of them were wise in earthly wisdom.

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But the vast majority were bereft of earthly wisdom, more or less. They were fools, to put it concisely!

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Calvary Cemetery Queens – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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GOOD NEWS?

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Well now, with such a seemingly hopeless message as Ecclesiastes, is there any Good News to Solomon’s dismal summation of life? Well yes! Solomon ends this little book on a positive note…

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Listen to Solomon…

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God, and keep His commandments:

for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every work into judgment,

with every secret thing, whether it be good,

or whether it be evil.”

Ecclesiastes 12:12-14

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Here Solomon is admonishing us to fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the only thing that has any real meaning!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“NO LONGER I THAT LIVE, BUT JESUS IN ME”

Galatians 2:20

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And to keep God’s commandments is to allow Jesus to indwell our heart, and then let Him live out His holy life through us!

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And this is the only choice that has any meaning, because it guarantees eternal life and everlasting joy! And then and only then will life have any true meaning!

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Because eternal life ensures that we won’t merely return to the dust for all eternity!

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The River Of The Water Of Life by H. Melville – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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RESURRECTION MORNING!

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And the fact is, on Resurrection morning there will be many who lived as fools, until the day they chose to become followers of Jesus. And they will rise up out of their graves only to fulfill the following passage…

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,

some to everlasting life,

and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;

and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

Daniel 12:2, 3

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Yes, all their former years of being fools will be nullified by their making that one wise decision…to follow Jesus! Then on that Glorious Morning, they will rise and shine as the stars forever and ever! And they will be forever young!

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Resurrection Morning – Jan Luyken – Bible – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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ONLY ONE TRUE GOOD DECISION!

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And so, amidst all the good decisions that a worldly-wise man may make, there is only one good decision that has any true meaning: and that one meaningful decision is the choice, to follow Jesus as His disciple!

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Every other so-called “good decision” without Jesus, without Salvation, is merely “Dust in the wind!”

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TO READ PART 8, GO HERE…

January 19 (As The Flower of the Field, Part 8: “And Then I’ll Be Happy!”)

Girl – “Depression” – by Danielzanetti – cropped image – for Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License 3.0

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, I choose to become one of the truly rich souls who have everlasting life! Guide me up the Heavenward pathway, day-by-day…

Praying Hands – Otto Greiner – Wikimedia – .bassenge.com – Cropped image – Public Domain

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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FLOWER CONSTELLATION BOWS DOWN…

AUGUST 28TH, 2011

It has become apparent, on this date, that as summer draws to a close, this “Flower of the Field Constellation” appears to bend almost completely down. This occurs as it travels into the western skies. It somehow rotates in order to produce this effect. This is a very wonderful phenomenon…and biblical too! After all, the Bible says “the grass withers and the flower falls away”. And that’s exactly what this flower constellation seems to do. It almost seems to be bowing itself…in the direction of that bright and beautiful star, “Arcturus” (which represents Jesus). This would make sense. After all, Scripture states…

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“…unto Me (the Lord), every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear… Bel bows down, Nebo stoops… They stoop, they bow down together… Listen to Me… all you remnant of the house of Israel (God’s people)… which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am he… even I will carry, and will deliver you.” Isaiah 46″1-4 (condensed)

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TOMORROW…

SEPTEMBER 15 (Eternal Torment? Part 12: Outer Darkness)

Brooklyn Museum – The Rich Man In Hell – James Tissot – Wikipedia – US Public Domain.

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

Signs Of Heaven