Daily Devo
A Reverent Fear
By: Bob Worzalla
Monday, May 6, 2024
God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead... Ecclesiastes 6:2 (NLT)
Solomon built Jerusalem's first temple, but he was mainly known for being the wisest and wealthiest person to have ever lived. His great wealth gave him the opportunity to try everything that the world had to offer, but his great wisdom kept him from being ensnared by those things. Solomon documented his search for lasting joy in the book of Ecclesiastes. He found temporary happiness as he pursued the things of the world, but in the end, he concluded it was all meaningless. The only thing Solomon found that brought him true peace and contentment was having a close relationship with God.
None of us are as rich as Solomon, so we don't have the means to test all his conclusions for ourselves (nor should we). But at times, we've probably all pursued the world's wisdom, and we've likely experienced Solomon's same results. God used Solomon's pursuit of happiness to show us material things can't bring lasting satisfaction and pursuing them will only leave us feeling empty. These words from the wisest man to have ever lived tell us how to best view the wealth, power, and pleasure found in our world. God doesn't say possessions and pleasure are always bad, He just says the constant pursuit of them will never bring us satisfaction. If all we want is "more", there will never be enough of whatever we are pursuing.
...here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13
Fearing God isn't about being afraid of what He can do to us, it's about having a reverent fear and appreciation for how much God loves us. He sacrificed His Son Jesus so we could spend eternity with Him, which shows us how much He loves us. The best way we can show our love to Him is by obeying His commandments. Jesus simplified the ten commandments by reducing them to only two: “LOVE GOD, and LOVE PEOPLE”. Our obedience to these two commands is what gives our lives purpose and meaning!