Wisdom Squandered, Day 23 How much do we really know? Read Ecclesiastes 11:1-6. Sometimes we think we are so smart. After all, we are intelligent, logical creatures who can reason and rationalize information. We problem solve multiple things every single day, and unfortunately, that can lead us into a false sense of security concerning our ability in these areas. We have to remember that God is the one who knows everything. And, we do not know as much as God does. Not only do we not know as much as he does, but we are not capable of understanding or fathoming the depths of the information that he knows. Every…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 22 Foolishness on display. Read Ecclesiastes chapter 10. Sometimes it can be really easy to spot a stupid person. We can look along the road or look around us and go, “Wow, that was dumb.” And most people don’t even think about whether or not what they are doing is foolish. Even though we see other people as foolish, we don’t always see ourselves as foolish. Yet often, we all display foolish tendencies in the things that we do and the things that we say. In this chapter, Solomon is writing several proverbs again. We see him make the mention in verse 3 about how foolish people…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 21 What voices do you listen to? Read Ecclesiastes 9:11-18. So many voices end up speaking to us from so many directions. Our world is a constant barrage of noise from every direction. How do we figure out who to listen to? What voices have the power of influence in our lives? For Solomon, we can see that he recognized that the quiet voices are the ones that had the most wisdom in what they said. Many times we find that the loudest voices are not always the best. In fact, often they are not the best, but simply the loudest. What are the voices that we…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 20 Get moving! Read Ecclesiastes 9:1-10. As a society, we tend to stay very busy. We value activity over accomplishment. Solomon has just gone through chapters telling us how completely meaningless everything we’re doing is. And to be truthful, a lot of us actually probably feel that way about much of the activity that we do. We get so busy doing things that we don’t stop to think about the fact that what we are doing should have meaning in it and purpose. Even with all of this, Solomon recognizes that the answer isn’t to just sit around. Because of our overwhelming tendency toward incessant activity, people…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 19 No one really knows. Read Ecclesiastes 8:14-17. As Solomon concludes this chapter on wisdom, we see him make an interesting statement. He wants people to understand that, no matter how much they search, they will never truly understand the world. We can try to understand all that God has given us, but we are going to fall short. We simply cannot understand all the things that God understands. We are not God. No matter how hard we try, we will not ever understand all things the way God does. It’s just simply not the same as what God understands. The sooner we realized that and acknowledge…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 18 Get caught quickly. Read Ecclesiastes 8:9-13. One of the prayers I have prayed for my children as they grow up is that if they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing, then I pray they get caught quickly. I don’t want them to get used to getting away with doing things they shouldn’t be doing. We know that God is going to judge all our actions in the end, but some people seem to get away with things now. It just doesn’t feel right when people who do the wrong thing aren’t punished for what they do. Yet, that is exactly what Solomon is talking about…

Wisdom Squandered, Day 17 Who really knows the future? Read Ecclesiastes 8:1-8. People have always had such an incredible fascination with knowing the future. They want some level of certainty to know what’s coming and how to prepare for it. The ways in which people try to attain this can range from the ridiculous, like the magic 8 ball, to the expensive, like the psychic hotlines and visits to mediums and spiritualists. And yet, even in their unreliability, people still continue to be so fascinated that they’re willing to try all kinds of things for an opportunity to know what their future holds. I’m sure Solomon had tried several things…

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…