Wisdom Squandered, Day 16 It’s over our heads. Read Ecclesiastes 7:23-29. Solomon had learned so much, and he had done so much. Yet, even the wisest person on earth was forced to admit that he was not really very wise. If Solomon, who had been gifted practical wisdom by God, I had come to the place where he was able to say that he did not understand and was not wise, what hope do any of the rest of us have? Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking we’re so smart, we think that we have done so much or that we are part of so much. And yet, really…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 15 We are to rejoice in all of God’s activities. Read Ecclesiastes 7:13-22. Praising God and rejoicing in him when everything is going well is super easy. Praising God and rejoicing in him when everything is falling apart around you, that’s much more challenging. It can be hard to see God’s hand in those difficult times. Yet, Solomon brings forward this incredible truth in this verse. The good times and the bad times… God created them both. They are both a reflection of the character of who he is, and they are both meant to bring him glory. We are to praise God and rejoice through the…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 13 Who knows? Read Ecclesiastes 6:7-12. As we read through the final verses of this chapter, we start to see Solomon’s whole point. He is looking at his life and his situation, and realizes he has absolutely no idea what is going to happen. As smart as he is, as wise as he is, he cannot predict the future. He cannot determine what is going to be. As we read this, we can definitely see that Solomon struggled with several aspects of depression. He struggled with that hopeless feeling and wondering, why even bother? As we continue through the book, we will see that he really does…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 12 Take time to smell the roses. Read Ecclesiastes 6:1-6. As we start to read through chapter 6 of Ecclesiastes, these first several verses talk about the importance of actually being able to enjoy the things that God allows us to have. Solomon has previously explained that the search for possessions in and of itself is a waste of time and utterly meaningless. But now, he says if you aren’t actually taking the opportunity to enjoy what he’s blessed you with, it is also a waste. We see this happen so often as people are pursuing more and more stuff. They don’t recognize that they aren’t enjoying…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 11 You can’t take it with you. Read Ecclesiastes 5:13-20. Solomon has been doing a lot of thinking in the last several chapters. We’ve read all the different things that he has tried in order to give his life purpose and meaning. In the last few chapters of this verse, we see him come to a conclusion that it really hasn’t mattered what he’s been doing or trying to accomplish. It’s not really mattered what he’s tried to hoard up for himself. There is nothing he is going to amass on this Earth that he can take with him after he dies. Solomon is forced to admit…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 10 When is enough enough? Read Ecclesiastes 5:8-12. It’s a common theme that I hear all the time, “I need more money.” Our world is a deeply materialistic place. We have made the illusion of financial security to be a foundational goal that many people spend their lifetime trying to attain, yet no one can even really define exactly what it means to be financially secure. Solomon was tremendously wealthy as king. In addition, he was King during a time when the people had the greatest economic prosperity that they were going to have as a nation. And yet, as he is evaluating his life, we see…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 7 Are we jealous of others? Read Ecclesiastes 4:1-6. During Solomon’s reign as king, he was involved in a tremendous amount of building projects throughout the entire Kingdom of Israel. He created and built a number of different structures and they were able to do tremendous amounts of things. So solomon appeals to all of his labors as a way to determine whether or not he feels successful and finds purpose. Ultimately, what he finds is that this doesn’t give him any better sense of satisfaction than anything else he’s tried. This verse, verse 4 makes an interesting statement. The verse gives the idea that all the…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 3 I want it all. Read Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. We live in such a materialistic and greedy society. It truly is amazing how much people want and, generally, even if they have a lot, they want more. We want more power. We want more money. We want more status. We want more of anything. Solomon went through the same thing. Solomon had the ability and the power to get more, so he did. These 11 verses give a quick overview of the fact that Solomon pretty much did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, as long as it made him happy. But Solomon learned an important truth, that…