9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? 10I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.11He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:9-11

King Solomon was considered by God as one of the richest and wisest men ever. Not even the wealth of Bill Gates or any other billionaire in history could compare with King Solomon. And yet, Jesus Christ proclaimed in Luke 12:27, "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these." You see Solomon with all his possession was never a happy man.

Look at what he says in Ecclesiastes 6:2, "a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction."

I have come to recognize what Solomon meant about vanity. You see we strive to have success and wealth, forgetting that we know not when our life will be called up. In fact, we basically toil for others to reap. Parents work hard to lay a foundation for their children, hoping that their lives will be better for it, and the cycle continues.


Currently I am working two jobs and if words could describe how hard it has been I would tell you. I have fallen into the ditch with Solomon, toiling away and moving farther away from God's will for my life. Ecclesiastes 2:22-23, totally describes my state,"For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity."  God's word is so powerful if we only listened more. I have found my nights to be like that, I often toss and turn as my mind is never at rest.


I remember when I was growing up in the country I used to watch farmers on their way to work. They would toil for the day and then in the evenings they would sit with friends laughing and having fun. They did not have a mansion or even a concrete house, they did not have internet or TV, but their happiness was real. They lived the simple life, not worrying about tomorrow, just living off what God had provided for them. Life was simple then, no one was running down a dollar, people were satisfied with being able to have food, clothing and shelter.


You see I have noticed that as man makes one step forward, he continues to make twenty steps back. In our race to keep up with the 'Jones', we have forgotten about God. Like Solomon we eventually find out that all this is just vanity. We wake up one day and our life has been centered around things and not around God. Since this year I am realizing how in love I am with God. I am truly in love with him. When I look at the struggles I have been through over the years and how God has never left me, I realize that I have to change my life towards serving him.


Solomon has taught me that God must be the center of my life. I understand now that I really don't care what people think about me. Frankly speaking, when I die I really don't care what is written on my tombstone or what words will be mentioned about me. What I care about is what words will be in the book of my life that God has for me. My God will provide all the things I need. If I am to be wealthy one day, that is his will. My first duty is to serve him without limit and to plant love in every life that I can. For 2011 I want to show love more to others, I want to give of myself and my time to the service of God. If I can achieve this, then my life would have been worth every breath that I take...