Solomon went through a period in his life when he lived his life, “under the sun”. He was away from God. He followed what he could see. He came to the conclusion that “under the sun” is vanity. Solomon eventually goes “above the sun”. It is living your life in God’s will.

Solomon’s life had come full circle. You do not have to lead a worldly life that find out it does not bring happiness. You do not have to live in a dustbin to find out that it stinks. Solomon will share his experiences. He gives three keys to happiness.

1 – Remember God (vs. 1-8)

It is as simple as that. We are to remember our creator. We are to remember our creator before we become old and grey. (vs. 2-8).

This body is not designed to get better. It will get worse as time goes bye! If you want to live a happy life then you need to remember God and the time to do it is when you are young. You should do it now!

Why should you serve the Lord in the days of your youth? Here are some reasons:-

• You won’t always have the energy you have now.
• You can save yourself years of regret.
• You can make a difference for God right now. Why wait?
• You can influence other young people to serve God.
• You can sow seeds that will bless your life later. You reap what you have sown.
• You build spiritual muscles for future trials.
• You frustrate the Devil’s plans for your life. The Devil wants you to waste your life.
• You get wisdom far beyond your years. God gives you great wisdom.
• You allow God to shape your future. The Devil can’t shape your future. God will not force his plan.
• You have aided motivation to avoid the temptations of the Devil. You have to say “Yes” to God before you can say “No” to the Devil.
• You allow God to prepare you for your marriage and career. Marriage is a godly institution. How can it be successful without God? No wonder there are so many divorces.
• You erase early the risk of going to Hell. Come to God now. You never know when your life will come to an end. You just don’t know where death is going to find you.

2 – Respond to God (vs. 9-12)

We need to respond to the Word of the Living God. Don’t take your Bible and just browse through it. It is like gold, it is like a sharp stick. The Bible will hurt you. The Bible will hound you. The Bible will heal you. It may prick you but it will also heal you. We need to respond to the Living God. We need to respond to the Word of God. God wants us to MOVE!

3 – Reverence God (vs. 13-14)

Solomon’s conclusion is to fear God. He speaks from years of experience. He has tried all things under the sun. If you want to be happy then fear God. If we fear him we will keep his commandments. Judgment day is coming and all secret things will be brought to the light. If you receive Christ as your personal saviour then there is no condemnation. Christ takes our judgment and we are saved.

Categories: Ecclesiastes