| “He hath made everything beautiful in its time; also He hath set the world in their heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 JND). |
| Two days ago we were talking about how you and I were made in the “image and likeness of God,” and yesterday we saw that we were made not only for time, but for eternity. This is brought out in the verse quoted above, for the word “world” could also be translated “the infinite,” or “eternity.” Even though we are young, we can understand this, for it does not seem to matter what we have, it never seems to satisfy us for very long. If we have a new toy, we are usually very excited, and have a wonderful time playing with it. But it does not really make us happy for months and months. No, we get tired of it, and want something more, something different. Or the toy breaks, and then it does not work properly. As we get older, this desire to have more and more continues, and many people in this world spend their entire lives trying to find something more to give them pleasure. Sometimes it is getting more things like cars, boats, vacation homes, etc. Others like to travel and visit as many different places as possible in the world. These things are not sinful in themselves, but Satan can use them to take our hearts away from what is really important. For some it means trying to become famous and well-known. For others it may mean getting into a position of authority, so that they can control other people. Satan has many different ways of attracting us, for he realizes that different people want different things. |
| The verse quoted above was written by King Solomon, who was probably the wealthiest man that ever lived. He had everything he could want in this world, for as a king, he could use his great riches to buy anything he wanted. He had the best of food, and many servants to do for him whatever he wanted. He had beautiful gardens, fruit trees, pools of water, exotic animals and birds, and many other things. More than this, God gave him wonderful wisdom, so that people came from many different countries to hear his wisdom. |
| However, everyone who looks for satisfaction and pleasure down here finds out the same thing — there is nothing in this whole world that completely satisfies. Since man’s heart is made for eternity, nothing down here will fill his heart, whether we are young or old. Even King Solomon had to say, after having all these riches, “All is vanity and vexation (irritation) of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). This simply means that having all these riches only increased his desire to have something more, and the more he had, the more he became frustrated because nothing really satisfied him. Only God Himself can fill our hearts, and make us truly happy. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we not only know that our sins are forgiven, but also have the enjoyment of Christ in our hearts. He truly fills our hearts, and satisfies! |
| God delights to give us the things we need to live our lives down here for His glory, and we can be thankful for good food, good clothes to wear, and houses in which to take shelter. But let us remember that the Lord Jesus said that we should not try to have our treasure down here; rather we are told to lay up our treasure in heaven. |
