Today's Inspiration
My Friend, Greetings!
Welcome to Morning by Morning, your Internet Inspiration.
This is a Thriving Thursday, July 29, 2010.
Open your heart to morning Son-shine!
In Summer (stanzas 1 and 2 of 8)
Oh, summer has clothed the earth
In a cloak from the loom of the sun!
And a mantle, too, of the skies’ soft blue,
And a belt where the rivers run.
And now for the kiss of the wind,
And the touch of the air’s soft hands,
With the rest from strife and the heat of life,
With the freedom of lakes lands.
~ Paul Laurence Dunbar ~
Our Week's Theme is "Spiritual Priority.” The Preacher of Ecclesiastes asks very similar questions to those uttered in our present day, and struggles in disenchantment to find the answers. Perhaps he asks the wrong questions?
Scripture Reading 
Ecclesiastes 1:2-14; 2:18-23
2 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
3 What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?
4 One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.
6 The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually as it goes, and the wind returns again to its courses.
7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.
8 All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which has been is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it may be said, "Behold, this is new?" It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.
11 There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.
12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
18 I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
19 Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.
20 Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.
21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
Commentary 
The Preacher asks two basic questions.
#1- Why does life seem like meaningless repetition? Sunrise, sunset. Water flows, evaporates, condenses, rains and flows again. The wind blows west, then east, back where it started. What’s the point; nothing brings ultimate satisfaction.
#2- Why can’t I control the future? I see someone work hard and pass on an inheritance, and they blow it all. No matter how fantastically successful I may be, someone else will come after me and control (and ruin) all I’ve done.
Both questions cause turmoil in a soul without spiritual priority, and find expression among many. The first question looks for a magic result to life rather than a relationship with God. When a man loves a woman, he doesn’t care if they eat at a Mexican restaurant, do Chinese takeout, or cook red beans and cornbread at home. The zest for life is in the relationship, not the repetition of meals per day, days per week and years in a lifetime. Likewise, God and you, My Friend, share your life; you in Christ and Christ in you. What city you live in, how many children you have, or how much money you make are irrelevant to whether you have a spiritual priority.
The second question also spans all cultures and generations; the desire to control the future. But with God the future is in him. There is no need to control it, for we rest in his care. When a loved one passes away, or when an accident happens, we may desperately wish to control the outcome, but we must not, for our spiritual priority is to be in his eternal care, and the future is good.
My Friend, God loves you. His grace is freely given to you. God empowers you by his Holy Spirit. Declare aloud these affirming words drawn from our reading:
v. 10 - Lord, I praise you, in spite of questions.
v. 19, 20 - I do according to your word by faith.
v. 21 - I seek your wisdom.
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God.
And only he who sees takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Daily Proverb 
Proverbs Chapter 1, verse 15
The Beloved about Her Lover:
Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves.
The light of the body is the eye, and through these eyes we see love, we perceive the depth of relationship shared. As believers, God so loved the world that he gave his only son to redeem the world he cherished.
Weekday Fruit of the Spirit 
Humility
Portray the humility of Christ with those around us today. Matthew 11:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Prayer 
The week is now arrived at Thursday,
where did those days quickly go?
Lord give me clearly guided direction,
to accomplish the tasks you show.
Amen.
Today's Inspiration was prepared by David L Stoops 
