Tag: hevel

This morning I read the first half of Ecclesiastes. It can be quite depressing if you don’t know the rest of the story.

In the original Hebrew, the word ‘hevel’ was used throughout this book. It’s translated as meaningless in my version. But using a word picture, it is more aptly described as a fog or a thick vapor or smoke. It appears solid, firm and sustainable but, ultimately it is not. You can’t hold it and it eventually disappears.

The author of Ecclesiastes claims that everything in life is hevel. The rich and the poor, the wise and the foolish, the family and the single all reach the same end – death. So why bother?

Because we do know the end of the story. This world is not all there is. There is more.

We work not to just earn money. We work to please the Lord.

We raise a family not to just pass on our heritage. We have a family to please the Lord.

We serve others not to puff ourselves up. We serve to please the Lord.

If the Lord is our focus for everything we do, nothing we do is in vain.

Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 reads, “And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life – this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.” (New Living Translation)

Imagine being so busy enjoying living that you don’t waste time regurgitating the past regrets or failures. It takes focused attention – not on ourselves but on Him.

I want to be that person who enjoys life. I can be that person. You can too. Do you know the One who loves you more than you can imagine? The One who created a purpose and then created you to fulfill that purpose? The One who paid for your sins – past, present and future? If not, let me tell you about Him and let’s walk in this freedom together.