"The Evils of Oppression"

  "Again, I observed the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. But more fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun. 

 Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this too, is meaningless - like chasing the wind. "Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin." And yet, "Better to have one hand with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind."" (Ecclesiastes 4:1-6 NLT)

  "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." (Revelation 14:13 KJV)

 Whether you think it is weird, or you believe that there is no comparison to the true meanings, there is nothing that I am willing to change; I truly believe that this is what the Lord is showing me, mostly to the actual life that is being lived out today. These are very strange times we are living in, so if it seems to be strange and out of sorts, so be it; everything happens for a reason! 

 I felt a little tug on my heart yesterday, as I felt that the Lord was speaking to me about these next six verses and was showing me the simplistic way that we can truly understand why and how we are to be humble, living as people who are oppressed. First and foremost, we must remain servants of the Lord! If anything was to change in our lives, it would matter much less, if we had the attitude of a servant, waiting for the Lord to guide and direct our path, which is the best thing we can do.

 Other than that, we focus upon the positive side of each and every encounter! What could be considered the positive side with the death of a loved one? What could be the positive side of the loss of employment? What in the world could be the positive side of a terrible disaster? Having a God that loves and cares, no matter what...

"Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for the future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)" (Romans 8:18-25 NLT)