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Bible in a Year:
Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied.
As a young man, Duncan had been afraid of not having enough money, so in his early twenties, he began ambitiously building his future. Climbing the ladder at a prestigious Silicon Valley company, Duncan achieved vast wealth. He had a bulging bank account, a luxury sports car, and a million-dollar California home. He had everything he desired; yet he was profoundly unhappy. I felt anxious and dissatisfied, Duncan said. In fact, wealth can actually make life worse. Piles of cash didnt provide friendship, community, or joyand often brought him only more heartache.
Some people will expend immense energy attempting to amass wealth in an effort to secure their lives. Its a fools game. Whoever loves money never has enough, Scripture insists (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Some will work themselves to the bone. Theyll strive and push, comparing their possessions with others and straining to achieve some economic status. And yet even if they gain supposed financial freedom, theyll still be unsatisfied. Its not enough. As the writer of Ecclesiastes states, This too is meaningless (v. 10).
The truth is, striving to find fulfillment apart from God will prove futile. While Scripture calls us to work hard and use our gifts for the good of the world, we can never accumulate enough to satisfy our deepest longings. Jesus alone offers a real and satisfying life (John 10:10)one based on a loving relationship thats truly enough!
What brings you true satisfaction and fulfillment? How can you more fully live out the fact that only God is enough?
Gracious God, allow me to find my true fulfillment and joy in You. Keep me from a wrong view of work and material things.
The Ad-Dressing Of Cats
You've read of several kinds of Cat,
And my opinion now is that
You should need no interpreter
To understand their character.
You now have learned enough to see
That Cats are much like you and me
And other people whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind.
For some are same and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse--
But all may be described in verse.
You've seen them both at work and games,
And learnt about their proper names,
Their habits and their habitat:
But
How would you ad-dress a Cat?
So first, your memory I'll jog,
And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG.
And you might now and then supply
Some caviare, or Strassburg Pie,
Some potted grouse, or salmon paste--
He's sure to have his personal taste.
(I know a Cat, who makes a habit
Of eating nothing else but rabbit,
And when he's finished, licks his paws
So's not to waste the onion sauce.)
A Cat's entitled to expect
These evidences of respect.
And so in time you reach your aim,
And finally call him by his NAME.
So this is this, and that is that:
And there's how you AD-DRESS A CAT.
Thomas Stearns Eliot
Happy Caturday!