Nothing New Under the Sun

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

We all know the book of Ecclesiastes where Solomon preaches sadly about his
own folly in looking for satisfaction in the things of the world, which in the end
he finds more bitter than death.

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is
nothing new under the sun.” (Eccles 1:9 TNIV)

“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in
which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There
was no profit under the sun. (Eccles 2:11 NKJV)

“This is not meant in a general sense; but that there is no new source of
happiness which can be devised; the same round of petty pleasures, cares,
business, study, wars, etc..” (Holden)

As Americans we enjoy the abundance of what the world has to offer
materialistically. And often we place our value on what we have acquired and
our identity is found in our jobs. Sadly we have allowed the world to define who
we are and where we get our self-worth from. If we don’t have…, if we are
not… , if we loss…,we judge ourselves and see ourselves as a failure by the
world’s standards. How unfortunate. God has so much more for us. We are so
much more to Him. Success is not measured by the things we have, the jobs we
hold, or who we know. Success is really about the significance of the life we
lead. It’s about how we treat one another, how we comfort one another. It’s
about what we do with the people God brings to us, it’s about our character. It’s
what we do when no one is looking. It’s what we do, because it is the right thing
to do. It’s not about what we are going to get out of it, or to gain another’s
approval.

So when you feel like your not measuring up, like you are not where our world
says you should be; I would stop and reflect, because maybe you are far more
successful in God’s eyes. He took notice when you went at 10:00 at night to
check on a sick friend. He saw you give a friend a ride to work. And he heard
you make the phone call to your grandma, who lives alone, just to say hi. God
knows your heart and you have significant value in Him. And that is where our
happiness and joy is found ♥

“We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the
size of our automobiles rather than by the quality of our service
and the relationship to mankind.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I am beginning to see that the things that really matter take place not
in the boardrooms but in the kitchens of the world.”
Gary Sledge

Written by Patty B.