Vanity Upon Vanity
By J.A. Shodeinde
IN reality, everything on earth is vain. You may find it hard to agree, but believe me, King Solomon was the wisest man on earth.
He had wisdom and wealth beyond measure. All these, combined with his experience in life, made him conclude: All is vanity (Ecc. 1:1-2, 13-17).
The marker for the existence of man is the soul. Thus, effort must be steered towards the things that enrich and nourish the soul. Sadly today, people seek for things that will glorify their flesh to the impairment or detriment of their souls. Mark 8:36 says, ‘what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and lose his soul?’ From this verse, we can understand that the intrinsic nature of man is wholly centred on the soul. Unfortunately, Much importance is attached to our comfort here on earth, but we have no reckon of what befalls our souls in eternity.
Our good works for God and man on earth enrich our souls and secure us a future in eternity. That happened to be the implication, when a young rich man asked Jesus what he must do to make heaven. When Jesus said he should give all he had to the poor, he went away sorrowfully (Luke 18:1825). This rich man’s encounter with Christ tells us that your earthly possessions (Money, Houses, Cars, Jewelries), will not secure a place for your soul in eternity, but your good works. All your knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are equal to vanity, because all you have on earth lack eternal value.
Our major purpose in life is to please our Maker, and this can only be achieved, if we enrich our souls by living a life that pleases God. The body will die, but the soul never dies. Our soul lives forever. Where will your soul spend eternity? In heaven with God or in hell, in misery with Satan? Your Life on earth will be meaningless, if God and eternity are left out of the picture. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
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“Andhespokeaparabletothem,saying,the groundofacertainrichmanbroughtforth plentifully:andhethoughtwithinhimself, saying,whatshallido,becauseihaveno roomwheretobestowmyfruits? Andhesaid,thiswillido:iwillpulldownmy barns,andbuildgreater;andtherewillibestowallmyfruitsandmygoods.andiwillsay tomysoul,soul,youhavemuchgoodslaidup formanyyears;takeyourease,eat,drink,and bemerry.butgodsaidtohim,youfool,this nightyoursoulshallberequiredofyou:then whoseshallthosethingsbe,whichyouhave provided?soishethatlaysuptreasurefor himself,andisnotrichtowardgod”(luke 12:16-21).
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