Spiritual food from Ecclesiastes

It seems a shame that Solomon, with all the wisdom he had, would dare look for happiness anywhere else other than in the Lord. But Solomon seemed to run true to nature. Instead of his being content with milk and honey, he looked for more outside God's pasture. If you have ever seen cattle graze, you notice at least one cow with its head stuck through the barbed- wire fence, eating the outside grass when the cow decides its time to go back to the barn, some fence mark is usually left on its neck. So is with the believer who tries to incorporate any and everything not listed in the catalogue of God's vineyard. We cannot do the things of the world and be found in fellowship with the Lord. Solomon learned this lesson by bitter experience. It will do us well to profit by his mistake. Human nature says, “Love the world and the things of the world”. But for the believer.

You cannot do the things that you would (Gal. 5:17)

Humbling consideration this! But depravity has weakened, as well as perverted all our powers. Once we had no will to do good; now we have the will but often lack or want for power. The flesh lusts, and strives against the spirit; satan assists the flesh in the conflict, therefore we are often foiled and fail to accomplish our object, we would abstain from all sin but we cannot. We would bring every sinner we know to Jesus, but we cannot. We would repent daily, always believe and invariably love, but we cannot. This is our infirmity, but as it was produced by sin, it ought to be our grief. It is a mercy to have the will for if we have the will now, we shall have the power by and by. Our weakness ought not to discourage us nor ought we ever to plead our feebleness as an excuse for the neglect of or failure in duty. But we ought to cleave more closely to Jesus, pray more earnestly for the power of the Holy Spirit, mourn more over our short comings before God, and long for the time when we shall be able to willingly do everything which God requires of us, and be content where he puts us in His will.