Our culture is built on the premise of temptation. When Pastor Nelson authored his study on Ecclesiastes 20 years ago, it was reported that by the age of 35, the average person saw about 150,000 commercials. That’s about 75,000 minutes or two months of a person’s life. The very economic engine of America is built on our dissatisfaction of what we already possess. It’s not what we have, it’s what we don’t have that matters.
Contentment in this world is elusive. The house is never big enough, the checking account is never full enough, and the care is never new enough.
There are two ways to learn about life. First, you can learn things in retrospect or with hindsight. Second, you can learn by wisdom. That’s where you get a mentor (check out my post Who is on Your Mount Rushmore of Mentors?), who has been on the path you’re traveling and listen to him.
The Word of God is a timeless treasure of wisdom. As it says in Psalm 19:11, “By them (God’s judgments), Thy servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
One thing Solomon reminds us of is that evil won’t ultimately be victorious. God causes all things to work together for good. He’s still in charge.
Click here for more from Pastor Tommy Nelson’s Study of Ecclesiastes
