Getting Things Right Side Up

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “I became far greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart good delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet, when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:9-11)
     Passage: 1 Kings 11:1-6

         Solomon’s big goal in life as he pursued finding meaning through parties, projects and pleasure was to become better than his father, King David. When he looked back on his life and that pursuit under the sun, without putting God first, he acknowledged that, while he had the most satisfaction in seeing projects completed, he found that even pleasure followed the law of diminishing returns. Over time, the satisfaction got lower, and a new project needed to take its place.
        That is how it is in the world. Human nature has things upside down. True satisfaction never comes from what occurs on the outside of life. It comes from what you have on the inside of your life. Solomon’s wanted to be bigger and better than his dad. His search under the sun resulted in the exact opposite. Put Jesus and God’s kingdom first and the rest will fall into place.

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)