OCTOBER 28, 2014
Working
For The Wind
Read: Ecclesiastes
5:10-17
What profit has he who has labored for the wind? —Ecclesiastes 5:16
Howard Levitt lost his
$200,000 Ferrari on a flooded Toronto highway. He had driven into what seemed
like a puddle before realizing that the water was much deeper and rising
quickly. When the water reached the Ferrari’s fenders, its 450-horsepower
engine seized. Thankfully he was able to escape the car and get to high ground.
Howard’s soggy sports
car reminds me of Solomon’s observation that “riches perish through misfortune”
(Eccl. 5:14). Natural disasters, theft, and accidents may claim our dearest
belongings. Even if we manage to protect them, we certainly can’t haul them
with us to heaven (v.15). Solomon asked, “What profit has he who has labored
for the wind?” (v.16). There is futility in working only to acquire belongings
that will ultimately disappear.
There is something
that doesn’t spoil and we can “take with us.” It is possible to store up
eternal heavenly treasure. Pursuing virtues such as generosity (Matt. 19:21),
humility (5:3), and spiritual endurance (Luke 6:22-23) will yield lasting
rewards that can’t be destroyed. Will the kind of treasure you seek expire on
earth? Or, are you seeking “those things which are above, where Christ is,
sitting at the right hand of God”? (Col. 3:1).
Dear God, please give
me a passion for the
unseen, eternal
rewards that You offer.
Make me indifferent to
the temporary
pleasures of this
world.
Treasures on earth can’t compare with the
treasures in heaven.
Insight
The book of
Ecclesiastes is often viewed with skepticism, and its message is considered
dark and hopeless. Today’s passage exemplifies much of the book—the emptiness
of riches and the transitory nature of things of this earth. But as with many
great stories, this book saves the best for last. After all the reflections and
lessons learned, the writer’s final conclusion is to “fear God and keep His
commandments, for this is man’s all” (12:13). The things of God are what truly
matter.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
