More Than Satisfied

Posted by Christina Scovone on Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Tuesday July 28, 2009 and we are beginning our studied in the book of Ecclesiastes, please read chapters 1-4 in your Bible or Click Here to read them. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%201-4&version=9

Today's Message: More Than Satisfied
The world is full of vanities and one is never satisfied with just one thing, but when we choose to life for Christ instead of the world we will be more that satisfied.

The book of Ecclesiastes is the twenty-first book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twelve chapters. The author of the book is King Solomon and it was written to Israel and believers in general with a special emphasis towards the youth. The purpose of the book was to provide a description of the quest for life apart from God and to prove that Life apart from God, no matter how much one has, is worthless.

The book of Ecclesiastes focuses on one theme and that is vanity. The word vanity is described as having excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, or something lacking of real value. Solomon's quest for satisfaction apart from God ended in moral and spiritual disaster, before he died he realized one important thing, anything apart from God is vanity. “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity............. I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” - Ecclesiastes 1:1,2,12-14. What Solomon is saying here is that he has done everything there is to do on the earth, yet it was all vanity and vexation (unhappiness) to his spirit, meaning that he was never satisfied. The world is never satisfying, the more you get the more you want, it's like a disease and eats you until it consumes your soul, leaving your spirit lifeless.

It would be easy to be impressed and maybe envy the achievements of Solomon, after all he had and did everything, “I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.” - Ecclesiastes 2:3-10. Did you notice the key words in these verses? They are “Me”, “Myself”, and “I”, everything he did was for himself, yet the more he did, the less pleasure he found. Worldly greatness is deceptive in that men imagine they will eventually reach satisfaction, but their empty souls always desire more.

It is recorded that, when Solomon began his reign, he loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, but Solomon's heart was divided for he also burned incense in high places. Because of his divided heart, his priorities became distorted and he gradually set his heart on material projects, wealth, women, and their heathen gods. Solomon eventually concluded that it was all vanity. “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.............For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.” - Ecclesiastes 2:11,16-18. Solomon is a witness to the fact that no one can be satisfied with mere worldly pleasure and attainments for they become substitutes in our hearts for the One Person to whom we owe our supreme devotion, that person is our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We were not created to become satisfied with the things of the world, but to become the person the God desires us to be and to accomplish His purpose for our lives. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” - I John 2:15-17. We do not have to worry about getting things when we live for Christ because he will always provide us with everything that we need and even some of the things we really do not need. All we have to do is put our trust in Him and He will take care of us. Praise God!
Today's Prayer:
Dear God,
Lord, help our ears to be alert, our eyes to be open, and our hearts to be perceptive as we follow in Your ways. May we be eager to hear Your teaching and apply it to our lives so that we may be found blameless before You and experience the joy You give to those who follow Your commands. When Your meaning is clear help us to seek no other meaning to satisfy our own desires or to change the clear meaning of Your message. Align our desires with Your own, that we might find genuine peace and wholehearted obedience as You bring spiritual healing to our lives. In Jesus' Name...........Amen.

Have a wonderful and blessed day/night and week.
God Bless You,
Christina

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