The Benefit of the Present

Ecclesiastes 7:13-18

¹³ Consider God’s work! Who can straighten what God has made crooked? ¹⁴ When times are good, enjoy the good; when times are bad, consider: God has made the former as well as the latter so that people can’t discover anything that will come to be after them. ¹⁵ I have seen everything in my pointless lifetime: the righteous person may die in spite of their righteousness; then again, the wicked may live long in spite of their wickedness. ¹⁶ Don’t be too righteous or too wise, or you may be dumbfounded. ¹⁷ Don’t be too wicked and don’t be a fool, or you may die before your time. ¹⁸ It’s good that you take hold of one of these without letting go of the other because the one who fears God will go forth with both.