Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text for today’s meditation is Ecclesiastes 5:10-20

¹⁰He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. ¹¹ When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? ¹² Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. ¹³ There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, ¹⁴ and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. ¹⁵ As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. ¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? ¹⁷ Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. ¹⁸ Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. ¹⁹ Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil-- this is the gift of God. ²⁰ For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Do you remember going off to college your freshman year? Remember how excited you were. I have to live this experience through watching my children because I did college the very non-traditional route, mostly one class at a time while serving in the Army. I know Joshua couldn’t wait to go. Laurie and I took him to the University of Georgia. We were told to let him set the limits of how much to help him. Some students wanted their parents to drop their stuff off at the curb and say goodbye. Fortunately for us, Joshua wanted our help setting up his dorm room but when that was done it was time for us to go. There was no teary departure on his part, we saw him wave goodbye on his way into the dorm.

One piece of advice I gave both the kids and a couple of their cousins, "keep the main thing the main thing." They were there to earn an education but in the process they should have fun doing it. The main thing was the education not the fun. Too many freshmen drop out, loose scholarships, and get placed on academic probation because they reverse the priority of the main thing and everything else. U.S. News and World Reports listed the freshman retention rates for the universities in the U.S. I was impressed with several such as 99% for Columbia, and Yale universities. The SEC schools were not quite that high. Georgia was listed as at 94%, Auburn with 87%, and Alabama boasted 85% freshman retention. The worst in the nation was National-Louis University with 41%. The lowest from a university that I recognized was Idaho State University with 59%. I understand there are many reasons not to continue after the freshman year but that is still a lot of freshmen not keeping the main thing the main thing.

Let’s set the stage for the creation of the earth where God gives similar advice. God creates earth and everything on it. God creates man; can you imagine how excited God was? Kind of like taking your first born child to college, almost. I seem to remember God had similar advice, or in His case commands, about what Adam was put there to do. Let me paraphrase, "Adam, remember, keep the main thing the main thing. You are here to work and keep the Garden of Eden. Do not eat from that tree over there because you will die." Kind of sounds a little like "you are here to learn, if you don’t you will have to come home" (for some that is worse than dying.) Solomon is also telling his people to keep the main thing the main thing.

It first speaks a lot about second things. He leaves the main thing to the very end where he points out that all their earthly possessions are a gift from God. As such, they are earthly possessions with no ultimate value. We are not here to focus on our possessions. Our possessions will not gain us eternal life nor will they be there with us in eternal life. Notice there is never a U-haul driving behind a hearse. Our possessions have a limited appeal. They have a purpose here on earth to provide for our daily needs not run our lives. It is said that when Alexander the Great lay on his deathbed, he commanded that contrary to the usual custom his hands were not to be wrapped. He wanted everyone to see his empty hands as he was carried to his grave. In death, the great conqueror and the king of nations was equal to the poorest beggar. Verse 19 says our possessions are for our enjoyment. How much enjoyment is the person having working late nights and weekends just to earn more and more? Verse 18 says we are to enjoy the toil that God has given us. He gives us work, occupations, and vocations. If we let our occupation trample over our vocation of being a father, mother, husband, or wife we are not using our God given gift the way God intended. We are not enjoying the toil of our life which God has given us.

The main thing is that possessions are intended to be seen and received as gifts of a giver and those gifts are to direct our attention to Him, the giver. God and our relationship with Him is the main thing. If we put the gifts from God as the main thing your salvation could be jeopardized. Just as some freshmen put the fun stuff as the main thing and have to leave school. If we love our money, gold, silver, car, land, house, iPhone, iPad, laptop, video games,more than God we aren’t keeping the main thing the main thing and we are doing damage to ourselves and our neighbor, the neighbor who needs us to be better than that.

We are physical beings and we need a certain amount of "things," food is a good "thing." Solomon is not calling for the denial of the physical needs. It is a call to faith and an acknowledgement that, ultimately, what we have in life is our portion which God has allotted us. This faith is rooted in Christ who taught that God provides for non-laboring lilies and sparrows that make no investments for their future. God knows what is best for us; He has given what we need in our portion, our lot. Those that reverse the main thing and love money more than God never have enough. John D. Rockefeller was once asked, "How much money does it take to satisfy a person?" The billionaire snapped back, "Always a little more!" There is never enough, is there?

There is an old saying that goes like this,"Money is a marvelous servant but a terrible master. If you possess money, be grateful. If money possesses you, beware."

There is work to be done with the "things" God gives us. Work in God and in Christ! When we look at it through Christ, our work can be satisfying because it serves a greater purpose and end than just getting more "things." When we keep the main thing the main thing and demote our daily toil and accumulating material things to its proper secondary place we find joy in those toils. Our "daily bread" becomes a means through which we give thanks to God the Father and find contentment in Christ and His gift of forgiveness.

Are you keeping the main thing the main thing or do you have it reversed? Are you in too much house for your income? Do you spend your money on things that are pleasing to God? Is the main thing giving to God and giving your neighbor what they need and living off the rest? Or are they reversed where God and your neighbor get what’s left over? Stop pursuing latest and greatest things that come along. Slow down. Ponder what it is to be a forgiven child of God. Your needs are met by a loving Father. Look our culture in the eye and tell it "NO". Long for what God does through Christ and His Spirit for you. Keep the reign of God first, keep the main thing the main thing, "and all these things will be added unto you." Amen.