You can tell a lot about a person by their eagerness to share what they have with strangers and how well they cook coffee.”
                         –Cliff Hudgins  (The Cry Not Heard)

       “When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart.”

They were men, all of them—men of that stark courage that clings to self-respect rather than to life.”
                         –William MacLeod Raine  (Mavericks)

        “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.”

So I waited around and enjoyed another helping of ham and eggs. A man born to live his life in wild country doesn’t often get such luxuries. Well I’m a man that never passes up such an opportunity.”
                    –Lou Bradshaw  (Cain…Just Cain)

       “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
                    –Luke 12:21 (NKJV)
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The great preacher, F.B. Meyer wrote, “I don’t want my life to end in a swamp.”  Ponder that for a moment.  If you recall the journey of Christian in John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim Progress,” you will recall that right at the start he finds himself in the “slough of despond.”  The deep bog or a scummy swamp is where many people are headed.  They try this and they try that to find happiness only to realize that all they find is hopelessness.  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, “Life is Living!”  But living comes only through Jesus Christ!
       When you read Ecclesiastes, chapters 11-12, read it to find out how to live.  You will see that we are to live life boldly; we are to be joyful; and most importantly, we are to be godly.  Warren Wiersbe breaks it down this way:  Life is an Adventure (11:1-6); Life is a Gift (11:7-12:8); Life is a School (12:9-12); and Life is a Stewardship (12:13-14).  If you are living the abundant life that Jesus describes you will easily see that life is not monotonous.
       We see in verse 11:1, that we are to “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.” (NKJV)  Notice, instead of protecting, we are to cast out.  This speaking of the cargo on a ship, cast it out.  If you don’t you will let it dry out, and it will crumble.  If we store it there is the chance that it will get moldy.  We are not to hoard it, dig a hole and hit it or we will find ourselves like the unprofitable servant and be cast out ourselves.  The thought behind all of this is that we are to release our life to others.  We are to be a light, a blessing, salt in a stale, sinful community.  God will be faithful and rewarding.
       What is happening to this present generation?  What are they being taught in school, in the home, at church?  Where is the Word of God; are they hearing it in the morning, at night before going to bed, and throughout the day?  If not, what are they hearing?  David Hubbard said, “Ours may be the first generation in civilized times that has not raised its young on proverbs.  From the beginning of recorded history…concise sayings which describe the benefit of good conduct or the harm of bad have been used to teach children how to behave.”  Now, with Postmodernism and its program of deconstruction relative truth is being taught.  Confusion is becoming the norm and chaos the way of life.
       Go back to the thought of giving–casting out.  Life, to most people, and the way to happiness is getting what they think they want.  “Most people think of it in terms of getting; success, however, begins in terms of giving.” (Henry Ford)  If you are a giver, then you are successful.  Here, remember that giving doesn’t necessarily mean money.  Modern life says:  “Get all you can, Can all you get, Then sit on the can.”  I don’t know who said that, but there is much truth there.  Don’t hoard–your money, your provisions, your talents, your gifts, your life…  “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.” (Proverbs 19:17, NKJV)
       Think on that–when we give (show pity) to the poor we lend to the Lord.  When we put out a helping hand, we lend to the Lord.  When we use our talents and gifts to bring a smile, direction, guidance…we lend to the Lord.  Sometimes misfortunes will come.  Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we lose.  No one worked harder at trying to win a ball game than I did, yet we did not win all the games I played in despite my efforts.  The great pianist Arthur Rubenstein said, “There is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.”  Therefore, I will say it again–Life is Living!  “Life is an adventure of faith, and each of us is like a merchant, investing today in what will pay dividends tomorrow.”

               “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
                           –Matthew 6:19-21(HCSB)

There’s majesty in those peaks, and grandeur in the clouds, and there’s a far and wonderful beauty in the distance.”