Author: Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

Today I would like to complete our discussion about searching for a goal of our life, and how we can find true happiness under the sun. We observed Solomon who measured long and burdensome way looking for his happiness and satisfaction.

Thanks God for having it written for us, so that we can avoid the mistakes Solomon mentions in the book of Proverbs. Solomon has understood that life without God is an absolute illusion, but happiness without God is a mirage. This is what he writes as a conclusion to his book:

«This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgement, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.» (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

The story of Solomon is a lesson to all of us; it tells us that the meaning of life, happiness and satisfaction cannot be found anywhere but in God alone. So we need to develop and strengthen personal relationships with God.

Today we will talk about how Solomon tried to find happiness and satisfaction in family life. «Life joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun» (Ecclesiastes, 9:9).

After Solomon forsook God for a season, he tried to find happiness and satisfaction in different things and activities. We see that Solomon made several attempts which all lead to disappointment. For a wise person Solomon’s experience can become good lesson in what the wrong ways to happiness are. We mentioned that Solomon sought happiness in education and knowledge, in fun and pleasures, in beauty, in works of men’s hands. Afterwards he came to a conclusion that despite the fact that all these things are important and necessary for living, none of them can make us happy, if God is excluded from our life. Solomon said that everything under the sun is vanity and grasping for the wind. Solomon’s conclusion was that everything that happens under the sun is vanity and grasping for the wind – if apart from God.

Peace and grace from the Lord may be multiplied in your life this day! We are still talking about the search for the meaning of life and happiness under heaven. Solomon showed us what path we should not take when we talk about the search of the meaning of life, happiness and satisfaction. When we take this wrong path, we will be disappointed and frustrated and it will lead us to total failure.

Today we will look at Solomon’s attempt to find happiness and satisfaction in fun and pleasures of life.

Let’s look at the steps that Solomon took in order to find the meaning of life. We will see what conclusions Solomon came to. The first thing Solomon turned to was acquiring of wisdom and knowledge. «I communed with my heart, saying, „Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.” And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow» (Ecclesiastes, 1:16-18).

Many people ask themselves a question of why they feel inner emptiness. So many continue to walk the wrong way in their lives, and it goes on day after day. They feel their life to be aimless and they continue their walk unmotivated.

Multitudes of people do not have a clue of why they live and whether the life is worth living. All of these things happen because they do not have a clear purpose for living.

“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20And they straightway left their nets, and followed him”

In the above passage, Jesus saw two brothers trying to catch fish by the sea side and immediately recognized that they have a better destiny, so He instructed them to follow Him. This word of God to you today is this: Follow me and I will make you.

Do you know that you are not all you could be yet? Only the Lord knows who you are created to be and He wants to make you become who you are really created to be. That is why He said “I will make you”.

«Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! ’» (Matthew, 7:21-23).