Grace for Your Day August 9

Winston Churchill served for 55 years as a member of the English Parliament from 1900-1964. He also served as the Prime Minister of England from 1940-1945. He was present or involved in at least 15 major battles and he was awarded 14 medals of war. He was an important figure in the First World War and a dominant figure in the Second World War where many think he was personally responsible for rescuing England from total destruction. He was given a number of honorary degrees by universities. Yet, at the end of his life, his last words were “I am bored of it all.”

Interestingly enough, that was very similar to the last words of Solomon, Israel’s most illustrious king as Ecclesiastes 1:1 states:The word for “preacher” here is cohelet which means “philosopher” in Hebrew because this book is about Solomon’s philosophical memoirs. It tells of his final musings about his life before he died. The Midrash or the Rabbi’s Commentary on the Old Testament says that Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon at the beginning of his life. He wrote the Book of Proverbs in the middle and he wrote Ecclesiastes at the end because this is how his life ended up. He had lived it in vain. Just like Winston Churchill, Solomon had all the riches and power and wisdom that this world had to offer and it left him wanting more because he left God out of the picture.

Unfortunately, this is a mistake that is being made by many people today because with all of the economic growth in British Columbia, more and more individuals are chasing after the same vain things that Solomon did. Every year, they are buying more cars and more R. V.’s and more houses yet it is not making them happier. The depression rates keep going through the roof because people are saying, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” They are coming to the end of their life and seeing the futility of it all. However, the Lord has a solution for that which is what we are going to talk about this morning at Grace Fellowship Church.

This week we are going to do “An Introduction to the Book of Ecclesiastes” at our 8:30 and 10:15 services. It will also be available Sunday morning on our You Tube Channel and website for all who cannot be with us in person. The temptation to pursue superficial things is everywhere today. You see it all around you and, as time passes, it does not seem to be getting better. Our society is vainer now than ever before. However, the Bible has an answer for the problem. It has given us a way to deal with the foolish ways of this world and it is found at the end of the Book of Ecclesiastes:
Please join us as we study what this means. This world is a vain place and yet we can triumph over it if we learn how to fear the Lord. – Jeremy Cagle