The Complexity of Life!

Ecclesiastes 1:14-15 (KJV) 

¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. ¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

          Dorothy Sayers wrote in one of her mystery novels, "There is nothing you cannot prove if only your outlook is narrow enough."  Solomon did not take that approach.  Solomon took a very broad approach to investigating life.  In this chapter, he is really struggling to find meaning in life.  The first eleven verses Solomon refers to the cycle of life.  He investigates life from a historical perspective and he still could not come to a meaningful conclusion about life.  He found out life has a natural process and things will return back to the place they started.  Solomon implicates life is futile.  

When Solomon arrives at verse twelve, he starts investigating life from a philosophical perspective.  He suggests as king, he had all the resources to experiment with what gave life meaning and made it worth living.  During his investigation, he looked at the world.  He became burdened by the fruitless, fleeting and unsubstantial nature of human actions and endeavors.  He stated it was a “vexation of spirit” which is translated as “chasing the wind.”  He became frustrated because there were things in him and the world he could not straighten out. 

Have you ever been frustrated when trying to figure a way to deal with your imperfections and feel like you are just chasing the wind?  The burden becomes more cumbersome when we look at the injustices and crookedness of the world we live in.   No matter how hard we search or investigate for answers, there are some things we will never be able to figure out.  The more we learn we should see our ignorance! 

We have to trust God to reveal to us the solution at the appropriate time.  What imperfection are you struggling with about yourself or the world we live in? The answer is found in fellowship with God through prayer and reading the word of God! 

God bless and keep you is my prayer. 

The Voice of Wisdom!

Ecclesiastes 1:8 (KJV)

⁸ All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. ⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

          Are you familiar with the phrase “curiosity killed the cat?”  Many times in life our curiosity gets the best of us.  There are things we see and hear that creates a desire to experience.  I personally believe there are some things in this world we do not need to experience.  We live in a culture that is confused about wants and needs.  The trap and trick of the world we live in is, it can provide instant gratification.  It is interesting to me how excited we are to work hard while obtaining things and how time dissipates the feeling of excitement after we obtain things. This is why many of us pursue thing after thing and always find our self back at the same place we started.   

Most of us constantly reside in a place of disgust, frustration, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction because we fall prey to the dominant thought of the day.  Do not allow the dominant culture of the world to transform you into believing it can give you satisfaction.  It will have you chasing after the wind and living in a cycle of dissatisfaction. That is the issue Solomon addresses in our text.  He indicates he examined the weariness and restlessness of his own life in chasing after things he saw and heard.  He expresses that we have to be careful not to allow pleasure to cause us to indulge in things that will ultimately disappoint us.  Solomon speaks through the voice of wisdom because he wants us to know there is nothing new in the cycle of life. 

So, we should be quick to listen to wisdom in regards to certain actions we take.  There is always someone God puts in our path who has travelled in the direction we are going.  Be quick to hear and analyze everything around you because as Solomon says wisdom cries from the streets. 

 God bless and keep you is my prayer!

Special Thanks to Supports of Soulfood Devotional

Thanks for following Soulfood Devotionals in 2011, hopefully you have been blessed. I am look forward to a greater year in 2012.

May God Bless
Rev. Leroy Hodge, Jr.

The Vanity of Vanities!

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 (KJV) 

² Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.  ³ What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

          One of my favorite writers in the bible is Solomon.  He has a way of making profound statements that leave me in awe.  When he writes, he has a way of carefully wording things in a concise and calculated way.  Of all the books he wrote in the bible, he broaches the issue of wisdom in every book.  The bible states he is the wisest man to ever live.  If you are on a path seeking to be wise, the writings of Solomon in the bible are something you might want to read.

          Solomon writes the book of Ecclesiastes at a later period in life after he reflected on his life.  Solomon had it all in his life.  He was the wisest man to ever live, he had the most wealth in his day, and he also had more women than anyone else during his day.  Then he had the power to do whatever he wanted to do as king. He writes in the text and expresses to us that it was all vanity.  He wants us to understand from a secular perspective it can appear we have it all and still have nothing.  Solomon was empty and in search of meaning of life.  Many of us pursue different things in an effort to find meaning in life. 

What things have you pursued in life only to find out it was a temporary fix and it did not give you the satisfaction or gratification you expected?   Solomon also indicates to us we do not gain an advantage nor are we any better from an earthly perspective no matter how hard we work if it is empty. 

Solomon also writes in Psalm 127:1-2 (KJV)
¹ Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. ² It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

The point that Solomon is driving home is, if God is not in what we pursue then it is empty.  When God is a part of what we are pursuing then we can rest and not worry.  Are you feeling empty and unfulfilled today?  Are you still searching for meaning in life?  If you are, then pray and ask God to reveal to you his purpose.  Then allow him to guide you towards fulfilling his purpose for your life.


God bless and keep you is my prayer.