Wisdom verses Woes

Solomon, King of Israel, wrote my favorite book of the Bible . . . Ecclesiastes. By world standards most would think this powerful, wealthy man - whose life was stretched out on a silver platter - was a madman. Who of us would say that they wanted wisdom if God asked them "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!" 1Kings 3:5

Where does your mind venture at the thought of answering that question? What would make your life 'perfect'? What desires of your heart are you willing to unleash?

According to Solomon - the wisest man to have ever lived - all of it . . . the wealth, the pleasures of life, the excessive efforts of hard work, even wisdom itself - was like chasing the wind.

Now, if you're wearing shoes that don't shine quite as brilliantly as Solomon's did then you're apt to rise up and ask for a shot at testing the wind theory yourself. But wait. Have you checked the papers lately? Have you listened to the news? There is a multitude of people out there that are chasing the wind. Somehow we've come up with the idea that life is all about us - few of us realize that we are the perverse generation that Jesus talked about in Matthew 17:17.

So are we not to have pleasures in this world? Are we all to live as paupers?

Jesus taught us that there isn't anything more important than to worship our God.
Jesus taught us that we are to serve rather than to be served.
Jesus taught us that we must repent - "to sin no more". John 8:11

Solomon knew it - Jesus taught it - we need to learn it . . .
it's NOT all about us.
It's about serving a loving God who fully expects us to be in awe of His Magnificence. He expects us to have a reverence for His Holiness. And if we were all as wise as Solomon, we certainly would understand that "The Lord will judge His own people. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31

Read for yourself from Genesis to Revelation - nowhere does He say "oh, that's ok - I was just kidding! Go ahead, do whatever it is that you want to do. We'll talk later." . . . NO!

Thank You, Jesus, for the loving truths you continue to teach us.
Forgive us for our unrepenting hearts.
Raise up in us the burning desire to set our sins down and to walk away from them.
Amen and Amen
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