True Fulfillment

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Today's Passage: Ecclesiastes 2
Memory Verse: Ecc. 2: 24-25

I was watching "Sixty Minutes" with my husband and saw an interview with the richest man in Russia.  He is said to be worth a whopping seventeen billion dollars.  As journalists usually do, this one shadowed him, I guess to get an idea of a day in the life of the man who also happens to own about 80% of the New Jersey Nets basketball team.  I saw that he was what the world calls an excitement junkie, constantly looking for the next rush.  He always works out for at least two hours, then spends his spare time searching out the most extravagant foods, adventures, and companionship.

When asked whether knowing how rich he was gave him any satisfaction, he only said something like he didn't have time to think about it because he was too busy trying to find the next thing that would captivate him.  My husband and I actually talked briefly about what it would be like to have all that money.  But when I stopped to reflect, I realized that if this guy could trade all of that "fun", he'd probably trade it all for a moment of peace that Christ gives.

I found an interesting parallel between this man's life and that of Solomon, also known as the "Preacher" in the book of Ecclesiastes.  You'll remember him as the wealthiest king in Israel.  When I read this passage, I found out that he set out to discover the key to happiness.  With the wisdom God gave Him, Solomon did a sort of study on whether or not pursuing life's pleasures to the fullest brought any true satisfaction.  What His study yielded was that all those things only bring a feeling of emptiness.  No wonder why a rich person would pour all his or her resources into a lifetime of searching for the possibility of finding true fulfillment.

But you and I already know what Solomon discovered, don't we?  Even though we may not have billions of dollars at our disposal, I, too have poured what little I had into pursuing pleasures of my own.  And just like Solomon, nothing I did brought me any joy.  As a matter of fact, all I felt was a deep heartache -- until I met Christ.  Take Solomon's advice today and live to please God.  You'll find more fulfillment than anything else in this world.

Prayer: Father, You're my deepest heart's desire.  Nothing I may think I desire compares to You.  Thank You for reminding me that all my goals and dreams should lead me to Your heart.  That's where the true fulfillment lies, and that's where I'll always be.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.