ICS Daily Devotions
Remember the Creator
Ecclesiastes 12:6-8 (NKJV) Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.”
King Solomon had everything in life including the wisdom of God before he strayed from the Lord. He had reached the pinnacle of success to the point that it even drew the envy of the Queen of Sheba when she tested his wisdom, saw all that he had built, how his people carried themselves, the food that was laid out on the table, and all that was achieved. The Bible said, “there was no more spirit in her” 1 Kings 10:5 (NKJV). However, towards the end of his life, Solomon realized that everything that he had and achieved was a vanity of life without God. It was like chasing after the wind. There will come a day in all of our lives when “the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it” Ecclesiastes 12:7 (NKJV).
Many of us have taken so much time and effort to pursue something to define and create an identity for ourselves and to strive for significance amongst men. We have also taken so much time to create wealth so that we will have it as a form of security in life, but we find out that it can disappear very quickly due to COVID-19 or a global economic recession.
Our security and identity cannot be found in our wealth, great achievements or material pursuits. These do not have a permanent value but rather often, the price of affluence comes with anxieties, suspicions and betrayals because everyone seems to want a piece of your pie.
King Solomon was called to be a king to rule Israel and to build the temple for God. He did an excellent job in building the temple but lost focus in his life. This is an all-too-common mistake for even Christians who become too pre-occupied with their own plans rather than being intentionally or purposefully living out God’s given tasks. Not every Christian is living out a consecrated life, and this could be due to sheer ignorance or just simply refusing to walk in His ways.
Remember, we only live once and thereafter, we are to give an account to God regarding how we had lived for Him, and how we had used our skillsets to outreach to the lost and to look after our families. Each of us is a creation of God and we have our specific purposes, skills, giftings, life experiences and callings. And since we each have our unique calling, we need to know what God has called us to do in the church and the marketplace. If we are unsure of what it is, then we need to find out. We are to remember our Creator who has a God-given task for us!
Sermon Series: Year End (2020)
