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| “And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another.” |
| —Ecclesiastes 4:4 |
This is the fifteenth blog post based on the Book of Ecclesiastes. So far, King Solomon, reflecting on what he has learned in his old age, has shared how futile life is without God. He uses the phrase “under heaven” to denote a state where earthly humans are unaware of and offer no worship for, or commitment to, God.
In today’s verses, Solomon reflects on what motivates those who have no relationship with God, as found in Ecclesiastes 4:4-6:
And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
Without the meaning that God provides in one’s life, everything is meaningless, futile, vanity. This should not surprise us. As believers, we can look around at a world filled with every kind of evil. And, evil is insidious. It affects every aspect of our lives. We see it in our businesses, in our homes, in our politics, in our friendships, in every part of our lives. Where evil thrives, discord, dissent, discouragement, disenchantment, disturbance, and every other negative quality simply overrule every good intention.
But, with God—with a personal and a corporate relationship to Him—life takes on meaning, value, and worth. There is plenty to celebrate, enjoy, and profit from when God is the One who leads us along the pathway He has opened up before us.
At the beginning of this new day, let’s take time to pause in the busyness of our day and reflect on the impact our relationship with God has on our lives. Then, let’s prayerfully thank Him for His goodness—expressed to us in the many blessings He pours into our lives.
