"Nothing Good!"

 "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:11 KJV)

  "Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed, and morning came, marking the sixth day." (Genesis 1:31 NLT)

 You would have to imagine all of this stuff Solomon was looking at; so much stuff, many people would have loved to have just a portion of what he had; much like people envy the luxurious living of some of the rich people in this world right now. 'Celebrity Homes,' which actually get shown on shows that display the excess of living; most of which is just stuff, things that need to be maintained and kept up. 

 I have to admit, things were so much more enjoyable when I had little! Seriously! When my wife and I had our first apartment together, things we had were essential, like pots and pans, a coach to sit on, a bed to sleep in, a lamp to light up the room; things that really made home a home, where we enjoyed each other, more than we took pleasure in all of the stuff! 

 I know, everything changes when we start making money, which is the way life usually turns out. That said, money is not what is evil; money is a root of evil, which is based upon what you feel towards it, how much you put trust in it, love to have it, or make it what living is all about. The more to depend upon the mighty dollar, the less you depend upon the Mighty God! It is that which becomes evil, not the money, but the human heart! 

 Matthew Henry gives us this thought: "When the Creator had made his great works, he reviewed them, and behold, all was very good; every thing pleased him. But when Solomon reviewed all his works that his hands had wrought with the utmost cost and care, and the labour that he had laboured to do in order to make himself easy and happy, nothing answered his expectations; behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit; he had no satisfaction in it, no advantage by it; there was no profit under the sun, neither by the employments nor by the enjoyments of this world." 

 Believe it or not, but nothing under the sun will last! Again, "Only One Life, 'Twill Soon Be Past, Only What's Done For Christ Will Last!" Which way is up? That is the question we need to ask, as we think about the glory in anything: To Whom Gets the Glory...

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." (1 John 2:15-17 NLT)