Eccl 2:11

"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun" Eccl 2:11

Solomon was an amazing man. As a young leader, he renounced gold and power in favor of wisdom when God offered him a choice. He chose wisdom so he could lead his nation in right paths. He thus became the wisest man ever to live. In the process, he was granted both wealth and power. And what did he do with it?

Read the book of Ecclesiastes and you will certainly have your eyes opened! He squandered it all in search of pleasure. He had more wives than any man could enjoy. He topped that with concubines to serve his every wish. He amassed great wealth and spent it upon himself. He built beautiful cities as monuments to himself. He spread his influence around the known world - to draw attention to himself. All of this and more did he do - to please himself.

Near the end of his life, he penned the words to this revealing book. Multiple times he repeats some variation of today's verse. "All was vanity." There was no profit in it. It served no lasting purpose. After all. Where are all of Solomon's buildings? In ruins. And his military accomplishments? In dust. His great wealth? Gone with the wind. Even the majestic Temple he built as a dwelling place for God was destroyed, smashed to bits, plundered, and hauled away by Israel's enemies. In the end, Solomon realizes that all earthly things are "vanity."

The only thing that lasts is what a person does for God. Serve God. Live for Him. Spend all the energy you have in His service and you will be building up great treasures - not on earth, but in Heaven where it really counts! Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.