Useless

I have done things over the years that I thought were really good ideas at the time. I’ve invested my time and sometimes even my money in what I thought to be really productive ideas and concepts only to have them fail or not really materialize.  As I get older, I’ve realized that I’m right there with lots of other people. The thing with getting older, I’m a bit wiser to some of the ideas. I’ve tried enough of them; I now know some things that will not work.  King Solomon, the wisest man and the wisest king to ever live, also speaks to some of this.  Check this out….

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.13 I decided to use my wisdom to learn about everything that happens on earth. I learned that God has given us terrible things to face.14 I looked at everything done on earth and saw that it is all useless, like chasing the wind.

 15 If something is crooked,

       you can’t make it straight.

    If something is missing,

       you can’t say it is there.

 16 I said to myself, “I have become very wise and am now wiser than anyone who ruled Jerusalem before me. I know what wisdom and knowledge really are.”17 So I decided to find out about wisdom and knowledge and also about foolish thinking, but this turned out to be like chasing the wind.
 18 With much wisdom comes much disappointment; the person who gains more knowledge also gains more sorrow. (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 NCV)

 Solomon is definitely in a weird place to start off this book. He has nothing positive to say about anything. As I was reading this chapter, I realized that the reason everything is useless and meaningless, is only when God is absent. Without the Author of Life leading my life, I’m lost and wandering aimlessly without any direction or plans.  However, when I trust Him with my life and my plans, He pours out wisdom and discernment in large doses on me.

 Life without the Lord is useless. We were created for connection with our Creator. If we fail to connect with Him and honor Him with our lives, we will get to the end of life and realize how useless and futile our life really was.  I’m more convinced than ever that the only way to really live is to surrender my life to Him and for Him.

Pressing On!

Dwayne