Hello Sweet friends,
Today’s Reading … 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8, Proverbs 25-29 and Ecclesiastes 1-6
Don Smith’s commentary on Ecclesiastes offers wonderful insight.
“In today’s vernacular, Solomon’s epitaph might read like the following:
The itch for things, the lust for more-so brilliantly injected by those who peddle them-is a virus draining our souls of happy contentment. Satisfaction comes when we stop off the ‘escalator of desire’ and say, ‘This is enough. What I have will do. What I make of it is up to me and my vital union with the Living God.”
Solomon was blessed with the hand of God on His life. Additionally, he had everything that the world had to offer, wealth, success, love. He wanted for nothing. And yet, at the this point in his life he is disillusioned, discouraged and disenchanted. We sit and wonder, Why? Before we judge Solomon, let’s take a look at our own lives.
Hand of God on our lives…check. Wealth…check. Success…check. Love…check. And yet, just like Solomon, we become disillusioned, discouraged and disenchanted.
Let me interject something here. Depression is not a choice. I am a believer in counseling and medicine to deal with a chemical imbalance, mental health issues or even situational depression. I suffer with anxiety, I get it, it is real. That is not the discussion we are having here. This is a discussion for those times when we are mentally healthy and just dealing with a misguided perception of our lives. There is a difference. If you are dealing with depression, or any mental health issue, please reach out for help. There is no shame and only healing that is waiting for you.
Ok…back to it. Solomon, had everything. What got him so off track? He took his eyes off of the One True God and began to bow down to the idols of his, many foreign wives. With his eyes off the Lord, and His purpose for His life, Solomon began to look around and the climbed onto the “escalator of desire.”
I believe that we do the same thing.
Each person reading this experiences a differing level of wealth, success and love in their lives on a earthly scale. However, anyone living with a roof over their head in this amazing country has, in relation to the rest of the planet, great wealth and success. Also, I dare to venture that each one of you has at least one person in your life whom you know cares about you. You have love. Above all, we each have the unwavering hand of God on us, each and every day. We lack for nothing. So, what gets us off track? We take our eyes off of the One True God and begin to bow down to the many idols surrounding us. With our eyes off the Lord, and His purpose for our lives, we look around and climb onto the “escalator of desire.” What we have becomes not enough, because someone else has more. Discontentment grows from selfishness and feeds on insecurity. It begins a cycle of striving and yet never feeling satisfied. It is exhausting.
God is the answer to peace. In His power, let’s step off the escalator. Stop looking around and look only into His steady and loving gaze. He is enough, we have Him and so We have all we could ever need. There is peace in that. rest in that today.
He is faithful. He loves you. He calls you and has a purpose for you, today and every day. Look to Him and be at peace.
Love you all,
Kinsee
“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return empty, but accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
