Will We Not Learn the Lessons Offered?

Solomon has a unique opportunity.  He had ultimate wealth and total authority at his disposal.  There was absolutely nothing out his ability to have.

We turn the the second chapter of Ecclesiastes:

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility.  I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”  I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.  I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;  I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;  I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.   I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.   Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasure"

He explored fun, pleasure, possessions, accomplishments, renown and found the pursuit "vanity" and "chasing after the wind".

We simply are too dense to learn from someone that had a gift of wisdom for our God which was beyond any normal human intellect.

God has expanded our resources far beyond that of most of the world and, in many cases, beyond what our own parents live with.  Was His purpose for expanding our borders for us to expand our possessions in the pursuit of pleasure?

Today, our churches, our neighbors and our brothers and sisters are struggling because we have grabbed possession onto what God has placed in our hands to manage.  We could consider a couple of parables that Jesus told about unfaithful stewards (servants).

We hear or read the weekly deficit of our own place of worship and think what?  "It is terrible that so many people only tip or God when will they finally get it?"  We sit justified because we "tithe" or we "more than tithe".

I tell you that no servant is justified in what he does if it is not in direct instruction of his master.

We have stolen what is not ours to have.

I know that this is a tough message to read but if we seek true freedom we must address this issue.  Our wold is rapidly unraveling and the sooner we pick up our opportunities the sooner God will open new doors of opportunity to us!