Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

Satisfaction is one of the hardest things for us to experience on earth.  It does not matter how much we have, it always seems we want a little bit more.  We have a hard time recognizing and appreciating the many things that we do have because of the very few things that we may not have.  By contrast when we look at the lives of many people who live in complete poverty with hardly anything at all in the way of possessions, health or life expectancy we often find people whose faces are covered with huge smiles.  Obviously the key to satisfaction is not in the amount of things that we possess, rather it is in our attitude towards those things.  If we truly want to experience satisfaction here are two things that we must remember.

BE CONTENT WITH GOD’S GENEROSITY: Solomon talks about a hypothetical man who experiences the trifecta of blessings in life.  This imaginary man had abundant wealth, lived to be 2,000 years old and had 100 children.  The problem with this man was that he was not content with possessions, did not love his children to the point that none of them would even burry him at his death and so his long life was just prolonged misery.  Solomon says that it would have been better for this man never to have been born.  Now the problem is not with his wealth, length of life or number of children.  The problem was with his lack of contentment in the midst of all of these things.  If we want to experience satisfaction in our lives we must learn to be content with that which God has given us and honor Him with our lives.  Paul teaches us that contentment with godliness is great gain.

BE CONFIDENT IN GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY: The sooner that we recognize that God is in control of our lives, the more satisfied we will become.  If we see ourselves as the center of the universe, our lives become pointless and very monotonous.  We find ourselves walking on an endless treadmill that goes nowhere.  No matter how luxurious our food at one meal may be, we will still find ourselves hungry in just a few short hours.  We must find significance, not in ourselves, but in the eternal God that we serve.  No matter how intelligent, successful or influential we may become in life; we are not really that impressive.  Just as there have been these people in the past there will be in the future.  This is just our brief moment in the sun.  If the purpose of our lives is self-promotion we will find ourselves in despair without any satisfaction.  However, if we are confident in God’s sovereignty, we will recognize that we are contributing to the glory of God and that our lives are of eternal consequence as long as we find our true satisfaction in Him.