Ecclesiastes: Chapter 12:

Chapter 12: Remember Your Creator in Your Youth:

We must take to thought the idea that one day we will grow old and cease to be the physical specimens we may or may not be at this time. The subject line of chapter 12 speaks to it: "Remember your creator in your youth." Much like in Chapter 11, Solomon is pleading with us to know God first and that all other things are secondary compared to His love. All is vanity without the Lord, this is the thesis of Ecclesiastes. This makes sense to us if we believe the truth that God created the universe from nothing, a molded man by His image, and breathed life into every living thing on earth and in the universe. God is the center of all things, the end all be all, I am because He is, without Him nothing would exist. Therefore, when we place life on earth into that context, we can better understand why Solomon harps on this so harshly, he is anxious for us. He wants us to learn from his mistakes and see his folly, he doesn't want us to live a life that is meaningless, he wants us to have a purpose in what we do under the sun. The life we have is a gift from God and it is not something to be taken lightly. We have choices to make that will decide our eternal future. I know that we focus on what sport we will play in high school, who we will take to prom, what college we should attend, if we should buy a house or rent an apartment if we should buy a new car or a used car, when should I get married, what career should I pursue, on-and-on it goes. (These are important questions that we should take our time and pray about because they will have a big impact on our lives, however, they shouldn't be our ultimate focus.) Few of us spend time on the most important question of all: Where am I directing my soul through my thoughts and actions? Am I on a path that will lead to righteousness or a path that will lead to death? Have I admitted before the Almighty God that I am a broken sinner in need of a savior? Or, am I blazing my own trail that is driven by my selfish pride? We need to ask ourselves these deep questions and seek the very root of our desires. It is best if we begin to ask these questions in our youth and discover where our hearts truly lie. This way, we can begin to work on the issues we have prior to growing older.

Fear God and Keep His Commandments:

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(I love how Solomon pats himself on the back as he says: "Besides being wise,…" speaking of himself haha.) Solomon, the wisest man who has ever lived, wrote the book of Proverbs. This book is something that many people use to guide their daily life. "Proverb A Day" is a very popular idea amongst Christian circles. His goal was to write something that was encouraging and truthful to any man or woman who would read it. This is how he encompassed his idea of "Fear God and keep His commandments." He speaks to the fact that God guided Him with these words and that it isn't about man writing or about how we can save ourselves, it is about how to live a life that will glorify God in all things. We shouldn't be trying to add to the Gospel or to the Bible. This will only take us further and further away from Christ. Be wary of those who preach a false gospel or try to sway your thoughts away from scripture and onto other beliefs created by man.

Conclusion:

I have thoroughly enjoyed working through the book of Ecclesiastes. It is currently my favorite book of the Bible, hence why I started the blog with Ecclesiastes. I think it is one of the most humbling and eye-opening books within the Bible. Solomon had everything any of us could ever imagine or dream of obtaining, and he called it all vanity in the end. He lived in a way none of us could even fathom and says that everything is meaningless. This should be a very convicting statement for us to hear, especially in the United States. We are constantly seeking more trinkets and better toys, working to show off the things we have bought and look like we have everything together in life. We strive to impress man, not God. We look to the world for pleasure, not the author of all pleasures and joy. God wants us to be filled with joy and to experience life to the fullest, He created everything so that it would glorify Him and experience His wonder. I leave you with a quote by one of my favorite authors.

|  J.R.R. Tolkien "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." |

Dear Lord, I pray that you will use these words as a blessing to others and that they may encourage those who see them. I want to write from a place of humility and understanding while I dissect scripture and I pray that it will serve others and praise You in the process. Do not allow pride to cover this but let it ring of honesty and how helpless I am without You, Lord. Amen. 

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