Seventh In Ramah

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit.” Ecclesiastes 1:2-6 NKJV

Ecclesiastes. Poetic, isn’t it? The meaninglessness of existence. 

Solomon’s writings are saturated with color and beauty while also pointing out that everything amounts to -zilch-. Nothing is new, nothing will last. Everything remains in its cycle. The Bible calls him the wisest man so we can’t really argue. 

He enjoyed everything good this world had to offer. All of life’s merriment, every thing artists have been painting for centuries, anything money could buy. He had plenty! He built lavishness and ruled it with wisdom. One day, he knew he would pass on from this life like everyone else before him. Everything he labored for would be handed to someone that didn’t. Didn’t know the costs, didn’t understand the work, didn’t rule with the same wisdom. 

While the news in Ecclesiastes is a bit of a gray cloud, about 1,000 years later came the Good News. 

Jesus enters the picture. The ways of this world stay the same, but the calling changes what it’s all for. 

The things of this world are still futile. A beautiful, temporary enjoyment while we’re here. If we don’t transform our mind, that’s all they’ll ever be. The labors of our hands will one day fall, the words of our lips will return to air.

Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world. From the moment he stepped to our futile earth, our labors had a new purpose. Further His Kingdom. Help others to Heaven. Every move we make in our life now counts for something. 

We live in the ripple effects of free will. Free will is a thing of love. It’s not love if it’s controlling. All the way back at the Garden of Eden, God set the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve had everything they could ever want, everything they never would’ve thought about wanting. They still had the option to choose it. 

Our life, excluding those moments of divine intervention, is determined by our free will and the ripple of other’s free will. Every move and decision we make starts a ripple of consequences- for better or worse. Sometimes the free will of others hit us in devastating ways. The love of money, addictions, drunk driving, momentary anger. Some ways of free will are a blessing or inspiring. Have you ever witnessed a pay it forward line or the effects of a random act of kindness? How love, patience, faith, and a little bit of nurturing give us the strength to keep going? Our small acts of free will can ripple into something larger, to people we have never even met just as their’s does to us

It’s not hard to see the world is deep in the wrong side of free will. If we set our hearts after the ways of God’s heart, we can began to make a change. The words we spoke that once turned to air, now settle into the spirit of someone else to light a spark for God. Our talents and skills no longer labor in vain, but build on an everlasting foundation. Furthering His Kingdom can be acts as big as physically building churches and centers, volunteering for positions, hitting our knees for God to step into a situation, preaching, teaching, or missions. They can be as small and meaningful as a casserole for a grieving family, a toy for a child in need at Christmas, or taking time for a word of encouragement when we feel too busy. Every good and God ripple we start helps further His Kingdom. Some ripples will reach generations. 

If we build for this earth, we’re right back in Solomon’s poetic gray cloud. All is futile, vain, meaningless. If we build for the Kingdom, we can actually build on something meaningful. Our efforts have lasting effects and can impact those around us. They can lift our brothers and sisters up with us and start the Great Race in new hearts. The kingdoms of this earth will fade, but Kingdom of God will last forever. The only thing built to last.