MAY 13

Ecclesiastes 5:13-17
Memorise Luke 12:21
“What profit hath he that laboured for the wind?”

Secondly, not only does the abundance of riches not satisfy, Solomon observes here that they are temporal, and will perish. God is in control of all things, and can at one moment decide to wipe out all the riches that man accumulates, and then he will have nothing left in his hand to give to his son. Quoting from Job (Job 1:21), he also sees that just as a man brought nothing into this world, neither shall he bring anything with him into his afterlife. Such is the vanity of riches, for it is like the wind: temporal, fleeting, and does nothing to satisfy the soul. The man that hoards riches, does so to his own hurt. 

And so Solomon asks again, what profit is there then to this man who labours for the wind? His life is one that is beset with sorrow, misery, and he will never be able to enjoy what he has gained. This is because he is a worldly man who labours for money’s sake, and loves money more than anything else in the world. His priorities are all set on things under the sun, chasing them as a man chases wind. Such a mindset, Solomon describes as a sickness! All his days though he surrounds himself with riches, he can only ‘enjoy’ it in darkness and misery, plagued with sorrow and wrath. This also, is vanity and vexation of the spirit.

And so the point that Solomon is trying to make here, is that we must all realise that the physical riches of this world are all but temporal things that will only help us in our life here on the Earth. They have no eternal value at all, for when we die, we cannot bring one single cent away with us.

Rather, as Christians, we ought to live our lives seeking after the things that are truly eternal. We are never to lay up for ourselves treasures on this earth, where moth and rust will corrupt. Instead we must lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven – of a godly life filled with godly works done for the Lord, for these treasures can never be taken away from us. Realise that when you obsessively seek after achievements and success in this world, you become like the foolish man keeping riches to your own hurt, and are doing nothing more than labouring for the wind!

Thought: What am I labouring for every day?
Prayer: Lord, help me to see past the temporal attractions of this world, and help me to fix my eyes on the eternal glories of heaven.