Ecclesiastes 6:12: “For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?”

July 11th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Solomon says that when it really comes right down to it, we don’t know what is best for us. For example, is it better for us to be rich or poor? We all want to immediately shout out, “Rich!” But are we sure? If God gave us riches, would those riches turn our hearts and minds away from Him? Would they make us better servants or lesser servants of God? Jesus said, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:24). So would possessions draw us away from Him? It might be better for us if we had to trust God for every single thing we need? Proverbs says:

Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the LORD?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.
(Prov. 30:7–9)

It would be better to be a pauper, begging for every bite of bread, with a “right-on” relationship with God, than to be the richest person on earth and out of fellowship with Him. God does know what is best for each and every one of us, so we can relax and trust Him with everything we have and do. As the old saying goes: There is only one life and it soon is past, only those things done in Christ will last.

“LORD, we remember that life is so short, and we desire to serve You this day with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.”