The Gift of Contentment

-

The Source of Contentment

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

“Furthermore, as for every man to whom God. has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.”

 

            How do we find meaning and hope in a world where sin destroys everything and life is filled with paradoxes?  Where do we find joy if wealth becomes an anchor that drags us down?  As we journey with Solomon, we might conclude that his outlook is so pessimistic and darkened that there is no hope or meaning.  But Solomon is not taking us through the forest of futility merely to lead us to despair.  He is masterfully confronting us with the reality of a broken world where we must look beyond the present and find meaning and hope in the only source where it is available.  After confronting us with the folly of riches, he answers the question we have been searching for in our pursuit of wealth.  We long for the enjoyment of life but discover wealth is an illusion.  So, where do we find enjoyment?  The answer lies with God.

            In contrast to the vanity of wealth, Solomon gives us a new hope, for in his search, he has discovered something excellent and fitting.  The key to enjoyment is realizing that the joy of life is life itself.  It is not found in the pursuit of popularity (4:13-16), the activity of government (vs. 5:8-9), or the obsession with prosperity (5:10-12).  It is found in the gift God has already given us.  That gift is the ability to enjoy life regardless of our circumstances.  The sad reality is that we spend our lives working and sweating to find enjoyment, only to discover that God has already offered it as a gift to those who ask.  The ultimate reward for our labor is recognizing that God has a plan and is orchestrating everything according to His plan. When we realize this, we discover a joy that is not dependent upon circumstances.  We no longer worry about tomorrow, for we are enjoying the present with gladness of heart.  Without God, wealth becomes an endless obsession, and work becomes oppressive labor.  In a world marred by sin, everything is broken.  But life is not irreparably damaged, for enjoyment can be discovered not in the things this world offers us but in the life God gives us.  When God becomes the object of our obsession, we find joy, and the vanities of life are forgotten. 

            We must recognize that everything we have is from God and given to us for enjoyment. The ultimate absurdity is that we search relentlessly for what God has made freely available to us. If we cannot enjoy what God has already given us, then we will never find joy in attaining what we do not have.  Significance and meaning in life are not found in the things we have but in the person who invites us into His kingdom. Joy in life is not determined by what we have but by our faith in God’s provision and plan.  God’s plan is perfect, and so what He has done in our life and the work He has set before us to do becomes our joy.  If you find yourself perpetually longing for more and finding no joy in the present, then reorient your focus upon God, trusting that He has already given you the best life possible and the greatest source of joy is found in Him rather than the things of this world. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A New Way of Life

-
A New Way of Life Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brethren, since we have the confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”                   The book of Hebrews is centered on the redemptive work of Christ and how His sacrifice is sufficient for paying the penalty of our sins so that we now have free access to God.   By comparing the Old Testament sacrificial system and the sacrifice on the day of atonement with the sacrifice of Christ, the writer points out that the Old Testament sacrificial system and the Day of the Atonement provided only temporary and partial forgiveness for our sins.  Every year, the High Priest would take the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement and enter into the Holy of...
Read more

When Injustice Reigns

-
When Injustice Reigns Eccl. 8:10-14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.” Traditional wisdom informs us that God blesses the righteous, and the wicked will suffer calamity because of their sin. In Proverbs 10, we find a discourse on the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. Traditional wisdom informs us that “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Prov. 10:6-8). In the moral order established by God, we obtain blessing and prosperity when we walk in obedience to God, for this is the promise of the law given to Moses (see the blessings and curses of the law in Deut. 28). However, Solomon takes a closer examination o...
Read more

The Prayer God Answers

-
The Prayer that God Loves to Answer Phil. 1:7-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”               When we pray, what is the focus of our requests?  James points out that one of the reasons we are powerless in prayer is because we ask with the wrong motives. Our prayers focus on what we want for our pleasure and happiness rather than spiritual transformation (James 4:3). Effective prayer starts with the proper focus.  This is not to say that God does not desire us to pray about our personal needs.  He invites us to pray about all things and issues in our lives.  However, prayer is not al...
Read more