Meaningless

        I'm sure most of you have heard the phrase "Everything is meaningless." But do we really know what that means? The phrase comes from a book in the Old Testament called Ecclesiastes. The author, who is thought to be Solomon, lists all things he has acquired and then states that he has found them all to be meaningless. Just to get a better understanding, his list of things he had a acquired was quite long. He had the best wives, (like several) the best food and wine, the most cattle and land, houses made out of the best material and many servants to handle the work. He had more wisdom than any that lived before him. He was King of Israel.
      I'm pretty happy with our house, but it could use to be bigger with more land. I have an iPhone, but I would also really like to have an iPad. I like my SUV, but I think I would like a 4 door truck better. I like my HP laptop, but I could use a ... nah. I don't want a Macbook. I have toys, but I can always think of ways to improve them. I think we all have something inside us that wants more than what we have. That may look different for each of us, but it's still within us. I believe we focus that desire on possessions and acknowledgment and stuff we can fathom instead of what we were created to desire.
       Solomon, who had everything he ever imagined, said this in Ecclesiastes2:26. "To the person who pleases him, (meaning God) God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
       The "next best thing" mentality that we all have within us was designed to be focused on our relationship with God and our relationship with others. When asked what the most important commandment was, Jesus told his disciples to love the Lord God with all their heart, soul, and mind. And the second was like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. So who is our neighbor? Anybody you come into contact with. I don't know about you, but a little while after getting that new item, I'm back to where I was; wanting more. Unless we focus our lives on pleasing him, we cannot increase our happiness. So the question is, how do we please Him? Hebews 11:6 tells us " And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."