Pleasures are Meaningless

Have you noticed that the world we currently living in, is filled full of people who want things for themselves? They desperately work long hours at a job that they don't like in the hope of someone noticing their effort and thus giving them praise, a promotion or perhaps even a raise if not all three. So what is the motivating factor in all of this?

Pride? Envy? Honor? Status Quo? or perhaps just keeping up with the Jones?

Yet no matter how much we work, how much money we make, what we spend it on, nothing satisfies. It all comes back empty! Every single time.

Sure it might work for a short time, perhaps a week but it won't last. No matter how great your home, you job, you car, your vacation, your family, the only thing that lasts and truly satisfies is our relationship with God. That is what sustains us in the dry seasons of life.

Let's look at Ecclesiastes 2: 1-11 and look at the wise words from Solomon.

"I thought in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.' But that also proved to be meaningless. Laughter, I said, is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish? I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly - my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and fold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well - the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.

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. "

So as you can see even the most wisest of men in God's kingdom and even Jesus himself told us that money and things will never satisfy. We will always want more.

We should begin to build our treasures in heaven where nothing can take them away. Let us begin today but seeing what we can do for others instead of focusing our eyes on ourselves. Let's spend more time with God hearing his voice through the Word we have each day in the Bible and see just how much God will bless us when we take our eyes off ourselves.