Ecclesiastes 1:2
Meaningless, meaningless,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is meaningless.”
Life is pointless. It is a waste of time and will lead to utter disappointment. “What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” (Ecc 1:3). Does it really matter what you accomplished in life on the day after your death? What is the motivation that pushes you to succeed, to continue living, or to love another person? Does making money, finding the right spouse, or showing compassion to strangers honestly accomplish anything worth the effort it took to do so? Even those who leave a legacy behind will eventually be forgotten. Do you know the names of your great grandfather’s parents? Could life truly be so unimportant? Is all not meaningless, just as the author of Ecclesiastes suggests?
The answer is yes. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…” (Psalm 127:1). Jesus reminds us that only those who build their house on rock will survive the coming floods. Only those who trust in Him have any hope for tomorrow. Only they will find meaning in life.
King Solomon, whom is largely credited with the authorship of Ecclesiastes, is still the richest man that has ever walked the earth. The Bible teaches us that there was nothing he did not own. If Solomon wanted it, he could have it. And yet, even Solomon understood that a life lived outside the presence of God is a life not worth living.
What do you live for today? Why do you get up and put on your clothes? Why do you go to school or to work? The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13 that we could strive to own the whole world, but if we do not have the love of Christ within us, we are nothing and our lives truly will be found meaningless in the end.