Good Morning Girls!  So we are looking at what the Lord rewards for, what kind of rewards He gives, and even what things can cause us to lose our rewards.  Well I confess that when I read todays verse I laughed out loud and thought to myself "I wonder if Tom would agree with that!".  Before I share the verse with you, let me give you one of the definitions of reward.  Reward: a satisfying return or result; profit.  Let that soak in a minute.  Now read todays verse:

Ecclesiastes 9:9  Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun.  The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil.

Did you respond with a confident Amen, or did you giggle a little like I did at first?  If you giggled, do you know why? 

I wondered why it was that I had first responded with a giggle and an eye roll.  Was it because I do not consider myself to be a reward?  Or, is it because I don't believe Tom would view me as a reward, as defined above (a satisfying return; profit).  It's an important question to ask yourself.  The answer you arrive at may or may not require you to make some changes.  At first I went into a long explanation of what kinds of things we may do that make us appear less rewarding, as well as all the reasons we may not feel like we are a reward to anyone, but I went back and deleted it all.  I think it best if we just sit on these few words and ask the Lord to help us with this one.  Let me know what you think...........

Ecclesiastes 9:9 Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun.  The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil.

Love, patience, and rewards to you all,
Jen