 Hi, this is Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, California. In the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 1, verse 3, King Solomon asked the question that many people can relate to. He begins with the question that the majority of people have at one time or many times asked. He asks, what prophet has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? In other words, what is the use of all of this? Why am I working in the first place? He had already said, vanity of vanity says the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. As the wisest man who ever lived outside of Jesus himself, Solomon opened his book with a very strong statement. Everything that he had encountered in life could be simply categorized as vanity, as complete futility. His opening thought is simple, a life that is not dedicated to God will always be aimless, empty and totally unsatisfying. This is something that Jesus taught us. In Matthew chapter 16, verse 26, Jesus asked the question, what prophet is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? The simple fact is, I can attempt to find meaning in my physical labors, but if that is what I do, I will always end up unsatisfied. I can work hard to become rich, and because I become rich, I can also become famous, but riches and fame will never fill or satisfy the empty nine ache in my heart. Of course, honest and hard labor in and of itself brings a certain level of satisfaction, but at the end of the day, it still leaves us empty. It is through this that we learn what Solomon later says in Ecclesiastes chapter 6, verse 7, when he says, all the labor of a man is for his mouth, yet the soul is not satisfied. In other words, physical labor alone cannot produce spiritual abundance or completeness. Again, our job in and of itself can never bring spiritual satisfaction, because a life lived without God is a life lived without meaning. It simply leaves us empty. This is something that Solomon saw over his lifetime. And in chapter 2, verse 11 says, I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled, and indeed, all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. Again, the point he is making is obvious. A life lived without God is no purpose, so because of this, we're to labor for the things that last beyond a lifetime. Once again, Jesus also made this very clear when he said in John chapter 6, verse 27, do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures everlasting life, which the Son of man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him. When you think about it, the fact is, ultimately, you end up leaving everything you labored for behind, and often it's received by those who do not value nor appreciate the fact that you gave your entire life to build something that they casually dismiss as being unimportant. Later in chapter 2, Solomon says, I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. He went on to say, there's a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. The only thing that lasts eternally is what we've done in our service to the Lord. And this is the wisest thing that we can ever lay hold of. We labor for the things that last and that ultimately have true value. Jesus said, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This is the testimony of Scripture. We are wise when we labor in pursuit of the Lord. And as Paul said, we ought to set our minds on things above, not on things on the earth. After 12 chapters, this is what Solomon tells us that he had come to learn over his lifetime. After many chapters of informing his readers concerning what was simply vanity, he concludes his book by saying, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, fear God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil. When all is said and done, the truest wisdom is for us to fear God and to keep his commandments. Every work will be brought into judgment. And this knowledge serves to purify our lives and purify our works. May we learn from the wisest man who ever lived outside of Jesus himself. This is Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, California.