“And whatever my eyes desired I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my labor. 11. Then I looked on all the works of my hands, and on my labor that I had labored to do: and, behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”
You have probably thought that it would be great if you could have everything that you want. People play the lottery every day to realize this dream in their lives. Those who do not play the lottery, might still have that wish in their hearts. Okay, I will confess that I have thought about how nice it would be to have the money to buy everything that my heart desires. This has never happened and I am resigned to the reality that it will never be so. Baptist preachers do not play the lottery. Be that as it may, King Solomon wrote that he had everything that his eyes desired, he did not withhold anything that he thought would bring him joy, and his labors were to that end. A happy man – huh? Nope. Here is what he found: “Everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind, nothing was gained under the sun.” (NIV) What can we learn from this? First, Solomon found that when he got all that he desired, he found it to be vain. Vain, or vanity, means empty and void. Solomon thought that all of the things that he desired would bring joy and satisfaction to his life. He found when he acquired all that he wanted it did not bring happiness. Things that we possess cannot fill the empty places in our lives. It is tragic that people dream of the fullness that riches would bring into their lives, only to find that it is not so. If all one has is wealth, he or she is going to find little real, deep satisfaction in it. There are people who have wealth who are happy, of course, but I think that they would be the first to tell you that the source of their happiness is not just in what they possess. They have found other meaning in their lives besides what they possess. I’m not suggesting that you refuse to get rich if the opportunity arises. I am suggesting that this alone will not fill the void in your heart. Second, Solomon found that when he got all that he desired, it caused “vexation of spirit.” What that means is when he did not find all of the satisfaction in his desire for possessions, he was depressed. In other words, after Solomon had all that his heart desired, he was disappointed, because those things did not fill the void. I remember that when I was a child I would peruse the Sears Christmas Catalog and think of how great it would be to have all of those toys and things that I saw. My parents being my parents, that would never have happened, but I did dream about it. I also remember that when I was a child and got what I wanted after a few days the luster had worn off, and I found myself wanting something else – some other toy. Third, Solomon found that when he got all that he desired, it did not profit him at all. There is a saying that the man who has the most “toys” when he dies wins. This is a real joke. Jesus gave a parable about a rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. The rich man “fared sumptuously every day.” He obviously had all of the world’s pleasures and was supposed to be very happy. Lazarus on the other hand did not have possessions, but he had a relationship with the Lord. When they both died, the man who had the most “toys” was not the winner. The man who had none of the “toys” was the ultimate winner, because he filled the void of his life with the Lord. (You can find the parable in Luke 16:19-31.) Relax, you’ll never get all that you want, but you can find peace and satisfaction in Jesus. . Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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