Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 8/21/2018*

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

Few people would say Ecclesiastes is their favorite book. But the need for it in our generation is indisputable.

The author was the wisest, richest, most accomplished man on the planet. He had already achieved all we yearn for… yet in this verse he says that the things we sacrifice our lives chasing, are meaningless.

More and more we read of the despair and depression of the rich and famous.  While people who haven’t achieved wealth are driven by the anticipation that it will be fulfilling, those who have attained it know it is empty.

It is the big lie. It is the great bait and switch.  Wealth is completely incapable of fulfilling the promises it makes.  You destroy your health pursuing earthly riches that you cannot enjoy as you keep running after more, confident that with just one more dollar you will be secure and happy….it is chasing the wind.  

At the end of Ecclesiastes Solomon makes a telling statement:
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” (Ecc 12:13)

Stop chasing the wind. Stop stressing over your balance sheet. God knows what you need. He has a plan and He’s not worried about how to pay for it. You don’t need to frantically chase assets, instead chase righteousness.

Don’t waste another day pursuing things that don’t last…Be in awe of God, and work for things of eternal significance.

“How many are they who have made a god of their wealth, and in hasting after riches have been drowned by the weight of their worldly substance” – Charles Spurgeon