Chasing the Wind (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

Context matters

Read Ecclesiastes without context and it can sound bleak. Solomon wrote it near the end of his life, after amassing more than anyone. He was asking what any of it meant, and he was worried about who would inherit it all.

Two people

To the one who pleases God, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, and nobody earns those. The other person gets the grind: always gathering, never satisfied, never enough. DeWayne asks how many people we know who have a lot and still aren't happy. Jesus' parable of the man who built bigger barns, and died the night he finished, makes the same point.

Not anti-work

Solomon isn't telling anyone to stop working hard or to despise money. Elsewhere he says to eat, drink, and enjoy your family. Just remember that none of it is the point. $10 million means nothing in heaven.

Try this

• Thank God for one part of your work you usually complain about.
• Ask Him for contentment, even if it means He'll teach you a lesson.