I told you before that Sirach is good and that you need to read it. Have you yet? I continue to recommend it to you with a few verses about success from a wise man who lived in Israel in 200 BC. Words in italics are mine.
Sirach 9:11 (NRSV) “Do not envy the success of sinners, for you do not know what their end will be like.”
Well, we do know how much money Michael Jackson took to the grave and the kind of lifestyle Bernie Madoff will have until he dies. But it wasn’t long ago that they were the envy of many.
Sirach 11:11 (NRSV) “There are those who work and struggle and hurry, but are so much the more in want.”
The hamster wheel may turn faster, but the destination never gets closer.
Sirach 11:25 (NRSV) “In the day of prosperity, adversity is forgotten, and in the day of adversity, prosperity is not remembered.”
What day are you in? Remember the other, and act accordingly.
Todd, you may have a future in a modern paraphrase of the Apocrypha! Ever consider working with Eugene Peterson to expand The Message?
Happy – I’m just waiting for the call from the publisher…