Read Ecclesiastes 9:5–10

Today’s Scripture: The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9:5

What Solomon wrote about the dead can be reversed and applied to the

living. The dead do not know what is happening on earth, but the living

know and can respond to it. The dead cannot add anything to their reward or their reputation, but the living can. Solomon was emphasizing the importance of seizing opportunities while we live, rather than blindly

hoping for something better in the future.

“The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the

direction of hope,” wrote journalist Norman Cousins, who survived a  near fatal illness and a massive heart attack before his death in 1990. “That is why the patient’s hopes are the physician’s secret weapon. They are the hidden ingredients in any prescription.”

We endure because we hope, but “hope in hope” (like “faith in faith”) is

too often only a kind of self-hypnosis that keeps us from facing life

honestly. While patients may be better off with an optimistic attitude, it is

dangerous for them to follow a false hope that may keep them from

preparing for death. That kind of hope is hopeless. When the end comes, the patients’ outlook may be cheerful, but the outcome will be tragic.

Something to Ponder

What is your definition of hope? How does your hope keep your faith

strong?