Ecclesiastes 7:9-14

Best of Times - Worst of Times 

10 Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.

12 Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.

13 Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

14 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

During the Best of Times, Be Happy; During the Worst of Times, Consider

The title of this article is comes from a well-known book; "It was the best of times; It was the worst of times."

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Life is like that. God allows us to have good and bad events in our lives. Why? No one knows for sure but it makes sense that we can't appreciate one without the other. If we never had sadness we wouldn't know what happiness is.

Who created what?

The challenge we have in life is that we sometimes tend to believe that the good in our lives was created by us and then blame God for the bad times. Be careful not to become too confident by thinking you are in complete control of your future. Believe me, I have tried that on too many occasions. God may hand you some of the "bad times" just to bring you back to Him.

Give thanks

Thank God for the good times and the bad because both are bound to happen. Things are going to happen in your life, good and bad but remember that God will be there for you during the rough parts of your life and He celebrates the good times just as you do with your children.

The truth about bad luck

Mark Twain wrote about bad luck in his novel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" . In one part of the story, Huck touched a snake skin (which was a sign of bad luck according to Jim) and then experienced some really good things in his life. Huck confronted Jim about his superstition because nothing bad happened to him.

Huck boasted about all the good luck they were having and said that the snake skin didn't bring them any bad luck at all. Jim didn't buy Huck's doubtfulness . He simply said; "Don't you worry, Huck. It's 'a comin'."

What about our snake skin?

Things may be going great in your life but remember, if you haven't experienced your "bump in the road" yet, don't you worry, it's a comin'. The good news is that, when it happens to you, God will be there for you if you only ask Him.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Ecclesiastes 6:11-12 - Predicting the Future