Solomon teaches us about Life

Do you know Anastasio Somoza Garcia, John Joseph Sirica, Johnny Rodgers, Franklin Pierce, John Cazale, or Ethel Waters?  In order they are:  a President of Nicaragua who acquired immense personal wealth; Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, where he became famous for his role in the Watergate scandal; a former American college football player voted the University of Nebraska's "Player of the Century" and the winner of the 1972 Heisman Trophy; the 14th President of the United States; an American actor who appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter; A singer/actress who recorded  over 50 hit records, was inducted into Christian Music Hall of Fame, Honored with a Commemorative Stamp by USPS, and was nominated for both an Emmy and Academy Awards.  Many people give their whole lives, trade their morals, family and friends to earn these accolades, status and position yet how many of them did you remember?  Life is truly very short.  Unless we learn to live with eternity in view, our lives are truly meaningless.  Solomon, the richest man who ever lived wrote Ecclesiates, as a warning to those who think they can be satisfied with what the world has to offer.  While it seems to be a rather depressing view of life, the message he is sharing is that if we have God in our life we can live and enjoy it, as we look forward to a life in eternity, and we need to understand that our earthly life is temporal.  Solomon lived a part of his life as a secular man, violating God’s commandments by having many wives, worshipping other Gods, and seeking after earthly treasures.  He amassed great wealth, possessed anything and everything any human would want and all envied him.  But in the end he realized for all he did and all he had, it was for nothing and brought him nothing here on earth without God to give his very existence meaning.  He discovered that after having it all, his life was empty and meaningless.  Solomon tells us as the wisest man that ever lived “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecc 12:13–14).  In the end, we must all turn to God to have hope and meaning in our life.  So listen to a wise man, have faith in God, live your life and enjoy every moment.  Just some food for thought.