I finished this mornings reading in Ecclesiastes and was a little bummed out. Here was Solomon … a king who was blessed by God, powerful, wise and wealthy beyond all imagination … and he concludes that everything is meaningless. A chasing after the wind.
It got me to wondering what on earth happened? What was he thinking! In the beginning of his story Solomon was all in for God. He sought to honor Him and give Him the glory and honor that He is due. Solomon was awesome!
Over time it seems to me that Solomon’s hope migrated. In his old age he began worshipping false gods, and leading Israel to do the same. His lifestyle and perspective deteriorated. There were definitely consequences for Solomon’s disobedience. It’s all written down.
It was a slow fade for Solomon. In scripture it doesn’t look like this happened all at once. Through the years he lost sight of the truth and started believing a lie.
“This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
I think this is a warning to us as we get older. Along the way life gets harder. We can get cynical. We lose loved ones. Our bodies begin wearing out. We make exceptions for ourselves because we’re tired. We wrongly believe that what little we have, what we are able to do doesn’t really matter to the kingdom of God. Before we know it we’ve slowly slipped from being on top of our game to sitting on the sideline bench of the kingdom.
Christ follower, remember who you are and whose you are. Remember how much Jesus loves you. Remember our lives are all for His glory. The mission hasn’t changed just because we got older. If we’re still breathing there’s work to be done.
Read this and soak it up, grab your bible and go refresh yourself with the truth. That’s the only way to refute lies.
Inside of you who are in Christ Jesus are the riches and wisdom of Solomon, through the holy spirit of God. You have so much to offer in service to the kingdom. Your story is one that others need to hear. It’s a story unique to you and only you … who you were before meeting Jesus, how He rescued you and your journey with Him since.
Friend, exchange the lie for the truth.
You have great worth.
You have purpose.
Your life experience has value.
You have been spiritually gifted to reach those around you who need the hope we have.
You have influence.
Your little bit that you think doesn’t amount to much is useful and needed in the body of Christ.
Your prayers matter.
The gospel matters.
You matter.
Go exchange the lie for truth. I have confident hope that if you’ll do that, you’ll get back in the game.
all4the1 