“Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me; for all is vanity and vexation of the spirit.”( Ecclesiastes 2:17)

Chuck Swindoll writes:

In this ragged-edged reality called earthly existence, life is somewhere between sad and bad. All it takes is a quick look around to discover why we line up to watch fantasies that take us to galaxies far, far away. Who wouldn’t want to escape from an existence as boring and painful as ours? For many, it’s downright horrid. It’s drug abuse. It’s sleepless nights. It’s headaches. It’s heartaches. It’s hate, rape, assault, jail sentences. It’s sickness and sorrow. It’s broken lives. It’s distorted minds. Mainly, as Solomon discovered long ago, it’s empty. There’s nothing down here under the sun that will give you and me a sense of lasting satisfaction. It is planned that way! How else would we realize our need for the living God?

I don’t care how good your professional practice is, much of it is boring. I don’t care how big your house is or how exciting your future is. I don’t care how hard you work or how large your paycheck or how sincere your efforts, when you boil life down to the nubbies . . . when the lights are turned off at night, you’re back to reality–its boring and horribly empty. To quote Solomon the realist, it is like chasing the wind.

You work so that you can make money, so that you can spend it, so that you can work and make more money, so that you can spend it, so that you can get more, which will mean you spend more, and you work harder to make more. So goes this endless cycle called ‘striving after wind.’

That explains why people will line up by the millions to view a fantasy on film and sit in silent amazement at someone’s imaginary world of imaginary characters who do imaginary things–because life under the sun is so dreadfully, unchangingly boring.

To put it bluntly, life on planet Earth without God is the pits. And if I may repeat my point (Solomon does numerous times), that’s the way God designed it. He made it like that. He placed within us that God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill. Until He is there, nothing satisfies

Have you ever tried to picture what life would be like without the U. S. military? A few words come to mind: insecurity, vulnerability, fear. The fact is that we would not survive as a nation without our military men and women because no matter how sincere some leaders are in their efforts to deal peaceably with the enemy, there will always be another country ready to bring a fight to our front door. We cannot rid the world of enemies simply by avoiding them; we must have a defense in place.

The same is true of our Christian faith; we must be prepared for opposition from our enemy, Satan, because he is ready to wage war on us at any given moment, especially when God is really working in our lives. And just as our brave men and women in uniform are trained and ready to meet this country’s opposition head on, we must spend time training in the Word, learning how to defend and protect ourselves against the wiles of the Devil.

It’s like the Roman strategist, Flavius Vegetius, said, “Let him who desires peace prepare for war.” So, put on the armor of God and gear up!   —–From Turning Point

The love of Jesus wins us. His glory charms us. His beauty attracts us. His sympathy soothes us. His gentleness subdues us. His faithfulness inspires us. He is the altogether lovely One! Jesus is all that is tender in love. Jesus is all that is wise in counsel. Jesus is all that is patient and kind. Jesus is all that is faithful in friendship. Jesus is all that is balmy, soothing, and healing. The heart of Jesus is ever loving towards His children. The disposition of Jesus is ever kind towards His children. The nature of Jesus is ever sympathizing towards His children.

Jesus is your Brother, your Friend, your Redeemer. As your Brother, He knows the needs of His brethren in adversity. As your Friend, He shows Himself friendly. As your Redeemer, He has redeemed your soul from sin and hell. Jesus has ascended up on high to take possession of heaven on your behalf, and to prepare a place for you! Upon His heart He wears your name as a precious pearl in the priestly breastplate. There is not a moment of your time, nor an event of your life, nor a circumstance of your daily history, nor a mental or spiritual emotion of yours, in which you are not borne upon the love, and remembered in the ceaseless intercession of Christ.

–Octavius Winslow (1808-1878)

Psalm 61:2
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Eric ran back and forth behind the crowd. The parade was coming, and he really wanted to have a good spot to watch it from. Everyone was so much taller than he was. Wherever he went, somebody was standing in front of him. In frustration, he began to cry. Suddenly, two strong hands lifted Eric up and placed him on shoulders high up above the mass of people. From the vantage point of the stranger’s shoulders, the entire parade was easy to see.

Sometimes we need a boost. Problems loom too large, and we can’t see our way around them. Pressures build up, and we don’t feel big enough to cope with them. God sees all that and He is ready to lift us up; to give us a new vantage point. Reach up to the Lord, and He will lead you to Himself, a rock which is higher than any problem we might have. (From Wisdom from the Psalms).

I remember preaching from this verse many years ago at a funeral service for a teen age boy who had been killed in a car wreck. I witnessed the power of this great truth as God imparted strength to the heart-broken parents. He can do the same for you. Ask Him to raise you up above the sorid things of this evil world and help you gain a new perspective. He did it for others He will do it for you.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.—Proverbs 4:23   I recently read about a giant oak tree that fell during a thunder storm accompained by high wind. From all outward appearance, the tree seemed to be in perfect health. No passerby would ever suspect that there was a problem and everyone was surprised by its sudden fall, after all it had withstood many storms before. It was not until after the fall that the fault was seen. The tree was diseased within. Deterioration on the inside had weakened the massive tree to the point that it could no longer withstand the storms.   Dear friend we often see the same sad story with people. You can probably think of someone who possessed all the qualities that you admire, someone who seemed to be able to stand-up against anything, someone whose life had been very fruitful, but then they fell. While you are shocked by their demise, if you could have seen what was going on within it would have been no surprise. Let their fall serve as a warning. It happened to them, it could happen to you!   When we neglect the inner life we put ourselves in grave danger. It all starts in the heart, but it doesn’t stay there. Corruption in the heart spreads to every area of life and eventually it weakens us to the point that we fall. Make it a regular habit to examine your heart every day with the search light of God’s Word. Confess every known sin and draw near to God. Doing so will prevent disaster.   The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.