King Solomon was not only favored by God; he was considered one of the wisest men ever to walk the earth. He made this statement:
Ecclesiastes 9:11, “I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.”
We all struggle with insecurity. That insecurity can be job security, basic provisions, self-worth, or purpose. We live in a marketing-driven world that demands that we strive for perfection. We are continually comparing ourselves to others. It is not always vanity that drives us; sometimes, it is pure competition, the need to matter, or the need to stand out in a noisy world.
Galatians 6:4, “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.”
When I think about what Solomon said, I sometimes go to Hugh Heffner. That is right, Mr. Playboy. Hugh Heffner lived a bohemian lifestyle, devoid of a moral foundation by almost any standard. He promoted a completely hedonistic lifestyle, not just for himself but also for everyone; He carried the banner for Godlessness, yet he was a multi-millionaire. The Playboy Enterprise was called an Empire. What killed his business model was their success. Pornography has become so widespread and accessible; Playboy could no longer make money.
If the measure of Godliness is worldly wealth and fame, why do the Hugh Heffner’s exist? Just as Job’s friends tried to explain, we should be able to look at the material value of a person and see their Godliness. But it doesn’t work that way.
1 Timothy 6:6-8, “But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
King Solomon reminds us that we are not in control of our future. We can do everything right, and it still can go wrong. We can watch others do everything wrong and prosper. Timothy tells us to be content with whatever happens. He reminds us that we should seek Godliness with contentment.
Romans 14:17, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
As Christians, our purpose in life is to know God and bring Him glory. Therefore, we should first seek His glory and be content with the outcome in everything. Larry Crabb talks about making the first things first. He warns us about putting worldly issues in front of God’s glory. He states, “The forces of darkness value blessings; they call them life, they feel entitled to them, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get them.”
Augustine said, “There can be only two basic loves, the love of God -unto the forgetfulness of self, or the love of self-unto the forgetfulness of God.”
Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Do our words and deeds glorify God, or do they glorify ourselves? If we live a life focused on praising God, are we content with the outcome? God knows what we need as aliens on the earth. He understands the environment in which we live. He wants us to live a life that is attractive to others so that we can share the Gospel. Therefore, everything we have or experience should glorify His name to attract non-believers to the contentment within us.
We should use the gifts that God gave us in the environment that He has put us in to succeed in what He has set before us. But we do this for His glory, not ours. We are working for Him, not for our gratification.
Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
Dear Tom,
Your reflection has seemed very interesting to me. It has built me up a lot. It’s something that God has been talking to me about lately: about being content with God, in what he has done for us just because we are his children.
I want to share a couple of notes from a reflection I made on January 12, 2022:
There are cultures like ours, focused on PERSONAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
Our culture has configured a system of life that has as its foundation, apparently absolutely essential, the feeling of DISSATISFACTION.
The message that we constantly receive and transmit says that there is no progress without the desire to improve and there is no desire to improve without being dissatisfied with what you have. This is one of the characteristics of our time: The tireless incitement to desire.
Text taken from: Intelligence Flight by José Antonio Marina
Psalm 131:1 says, “The Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not lifted up; I neither walked in greatness, nor in things too sublime for me.
Puffing up means causing or instilling pride or vanity in someone.
Puffiness is the result of overestimating ourselves or underestimating others. This leads to restlessness because we feel dissatisfied with what we have and worry about what others have.
Vanity keeps us hungry for more attention and more adoration.
In contrast, humility puts others first and makes us happy when God directs our lives.
That contentment gives us security and makes us no longer need to prove ourselves to others.
I hope the idea is well understood, since I wrote in Spanish and then I used the Google translator.
Keydy, Thank you for you comments. I agree. Social Media Influencers overwhelm us with propaganda about what it means to be the perfect person. As a result, we don’t get to see the other side, imperfections, and struggles. Because of that, we get caught up trying to satisfy a worldly image at the expense of Godliness.