ECCLESIASTES 2 THE POINTLESSNESS OF PLEASURES & TOIL Posted on September 1, 2023 by ilmaarts <a href="http://www.ilmaarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/guelph-arboretum-2012-029.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="http://www.ilmaarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/guelph-arboretum-2012-029-300x201.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="201" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1013" srcset="https://www.ilmaarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/guelph-arboretum-2012-029-300x201.jpg 300w, https://www.ilmaarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/guelph-arboretum-2012-029-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https://www.ilmaarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/guelph-arboretum-2012-029-446x300.jpg 446w, https://www.ilmaarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/guelph-arboretum-2012-029.jpg 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a>September 2<br /> ________________________________________<br /> ECCLESIASTES 2<br /> 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 2:9-11<br /> ________________________________________<br /> ECCLESIASTES 2 THE POINTLESSNESS OF PLEASURES & TOIL<br /> A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA<br /> Work and striving are the aftermath of the fall of man<br /> Gone are those days in paradise where he is satisfied<br /> When he had a perfect relationship with his Creator<br /> Humans didn’t have to work; they were provided for.<br /> As soon as they disobeyed God, shame enters man’s heart<br /> He has to constantly prove his worth for he constantly doubts<br /> To bridge the gap of his identity and security, he works very hard<br /> He follows the world system of working so he can have his own worth.<br /> Man works day in and day out so he can reward himself with pleasure<br /> He pursues knowledge and wealth so that he will be adored and gain power<br /> He creates things that he can be proud of and feel good about himself<br /> And yet, as he does this day after day, all these striving is still pointless.<br /> Without gratitude and service to the one who created all things<br /> Pleasures and toil are all vanity and is like pursuing the wind<br /> There is no point in seeking after pleasures and your own worth<br /> It is futility to think that you can compete with your majestic God.<br /> Unless man’s toiling is for the purpose of God’s kingdom<br /> It will be like the hamster in his wheel, going around in circles<br /> He will only be chasing after things that are all fleeting<br /> Pleasure seeking has no end, it will never make you satisfied.<br /> ________________________________________<br /> REFLECTION<br /> • Why do you think seeking pleasure and toil are all vanity? What does this mean?</p> </div><!-- .entry-content --> <footer class="entry-meta"> This entry was posted in <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/category/poem-devotionals/" rel="category tag">Poem devotionals</a> and tagged <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/tag/christian-blog/" rel="tag">Christian blog</a>, <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/tag/christian-devotional/" rel="tag">Christian devotional</a>, <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/tag/christian-poem/" rel="tag">Christian poem</a>, <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/tag/ecclesiastes-2-the-pointlessness-of-pleasures-toil/" rel="tag">ECCLESIASTES 2 THE POINTLESSNESS OF PLEASURES & TOIL</a>, <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/tag/ilma-barayuga-doherty/" rel="tag">ILMA BARAYUGA-DOHERTY</a>, <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/tag/ilmaarts-com/" rel="tag">ilmaarts.com</a> by <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/author/ilmaarts/">ilmaarts</a>. Bookmark the <a href="https://www.ilmaarts.com/ecclesiastes-2-the-pointlessness-of-pleasures-toil/" title="Permalink to ECCLESIASTES 2 THE POINTLESSNESS OF PLEASURES & TOIL" rel="bookmark">permalink</a>. </footer><!-- .entry-meta --> </article><!-- #post-9074 --> <div id="comments"> </div><!-- #comments --> </div><!-- #content --> </div><!-- #primary --> </div><!-- #main --> <footer id="colophon" role="contentinfo"> <div id="site-generator"> <a href="https://wordpress.org/" class="imprint" title="Semantic Personal Publishing Platform"> Proudly powered by WordPress </a> </div> </footer><!-- #colophon --> </div><!-- #page --> <!-- ngg_resource_manager_marker --> </body> </html>
