SEPTEMBER 17, 2025

   “Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.” 

― Edwin Hubbell Chapin

ECCLESIASTES 1-3

9What do workers gain from their toil? 10I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet^a no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. (3:9-13)

2 CORINTHIANS 9

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;

their righteousness endures forever.”^a

10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

JOURNAL 

Life apart from God is like chasing after the wind. As Ecclesiastes reminds us, “He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were not created to find meaning in possessions, achievements, or even in our fleeting years. Houses, jobs, wealth, and even our own bodies are temporary and fragile. Our true hope rests not in what fades but in the eternal kingdom of God, where His love and promises anchor us.

This eternal perspective changes how we live in the present. When we accept and embrace the hope of Christ, we can endure disappointments, frustrations, and trials with a spirit of love and perseverance. We begin to see every person not merely as a temporary organism, but as a spiritual being made for eternity. This is why Paul exhorts us that “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Giving of ourselves, whether in love, resources, or time, becomes an act that reverberates beyond this life and into eternity.

And yet, we are not left unprotected in this journey. Paul urges us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” and to “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-11). Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit equip us to stand firm in a broken world.

Every act of love, every gift given in faith, every moment we stand for truth, these touch eternity. They are not wasted. They are seeds sown into God’s kingdom, and their fruit will endure forever.

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.