It’s like the effect of wormwood - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ... A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Ecclesiastes 3:1,3

It's like the effect of wormwood
Inspired by the Spirit of God, king Solomon describes man's life from an earthly perspective in the book of Ecclesiastes, not from the standpoint of God but from that of mankind, whose life is relatively brief. Solomon investigated the burning question of the deeper sense of life. He came to this sobering conclusion: nothing here is permanent. That almost drove him to despair. An effect like wormwood seems to be in all that man undertakes.
The New Testament confirms this effect, giving it its proper name: sin! To our ears that may sound outmoded, something for past generations. Yet however we regard the subject, it remains what it is: our entire existence, all our activities and even our thinking bear the stamp of sin and, as a consequence, of transience, too. Does that mean our life can be nothing but senseless?
Not at all! God Himself has the solution ready at hand for "whatever God does, it shall be for ever" (v.14). He wishes to "break down" whatever bears the stamp of sin and "build up" what will last beyond our earthly life. Since the Lord Jesus died on the cross for the lost, God can and will grant us new, eternal life. Is that not a tremendous response to the question of the why, the wherefore and the destination of our life?
Today's reading: Acts 11