Thinking

I was thinking this morning about how things are pretty much meaningless.  I think about what King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes.  King Solomon had everything that he could ever want; he had wealth, he had wisdom and knowledge and he ruled over the greatest nation in the world.  He had more wisdom and knowledge than any other man that ever lived, outside of Jesus, he also had blessings of God and His approval and love on his life.  Solomon had prosperity and popularity, anything he wanted was at his fingertips and he engaged in many activities, but he didn’t use the wisdom and knowledge God had given him when it came to women.  He married foreign women and committed idolatry by worshiping their gods.  King Solomon had a lot of experience in life plus he also judged some hard cases that came up but with all that he concluded that all was vanity, a chasing after the wind, so to speak, without the direction of God leading him and guiding him.

I also thought about my past experiences in my life.  The many things that I was involved with and thought were so great at the time but now seem so irrelevant and many were just a waste of time.  I guess when you get older you can look back with more clarity on what was good and what wasn’t and I have to agree with King Solomon that most of the things I did or was involved with were meaningless.

Read what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:12-18, “I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.”

I know it is very hard for young people to understand what I am saying but when they get older they will probably look back and realize that what I am saying is true, even if they don’t want to admit it.  And it is not just the young people that will have a hard time believing this but even the middle aged and many seniors will have a hard time believing this, but it is the truth.  You can have all the money in the world, all the wisdom and knowledge, all the popularity and fame, all the material things in the world and even good health but they will not give you everlasting peace and joy in your heart, only a personal relationship with the Lord will do that.

Now read what King Solomon said in chapter 2 verses 13-19, “Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.”

Now read verses 24-26 in that same chapter, “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.”

There are many other things that Solomon wrote about and it would be good if you were to read them and I hope you will, but now I want you to read what King Solomon wrote to sum up all that he said.  This was his conclusion, read Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”  

King Solomon was saying that we should enjoy life without excluding the commands of God and we should daily be seeking to have a relationship with Him.  We are to fear God, and that isn’t just a passive fear seeing how close we can come to sin without falling into it, but a fear that keeps us fleeing from sin in any form if we are aware of it and hating our sin.  We can never use God’s grace as a license to sin like some people seem to preach, to their shame, but they will have to stand before the Lord someday and give an account and there won’t be any excuses because God may say this, “would you like to see it on the screen!!”  Shepherds should be feeding the Lord’s sheep and not devouring them.  If anyone makes you feel good in your sin, be careful, there is a trap waiting for you; don’t be caught dead in it.

The Bible says, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”  Repentance is to change one’s mind about sin and go in the other direction which should bring godly sorrow and a turning away from sin and should result in a humble and contrite heart and then bring forth salvation.  Once you are born-again, you will have the power of God to help you resist sin.  Being sorry is an action word that should compel us to always resist sin, with the Lord’s help.  Judas was sorry also but it was worldly sorrow and it brought forth death because he went out and hung himself.  Now contrast that with Peter who denied the Lord and went and wept bitterly because of his godly sorrow and remorse and he was reinstated to the Lord’s service because he sought the Lord’s forgiveness and was forgiven, praise the Lord!!  So if you have sinned don’t take it lightly, sin is very serious to God, repent and confess it and turn from it.

Read 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”     

I have given you something to think about and I hope you will act positively on it.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super, super day!!  PS Don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!