Ecclesiastes 4:6 – “Better is one handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I heard the question, “Are you chasing the wind?”   I wanted to say, NO!   However, life has taught me never to respond with a knee-jerk reaction to God or to most other things.   Stop, Look, and Listen.   Put your mind in gear before you allow your elephant mouth to write a check you can’t cash.   Usually, God will give the answer and solution without our argument or defense.

There is a latent, if not predominant, tendency in the human heart to want more, and even to yield to greed. (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9).   Our human frailty and inability to see the end from the beginning force us to seek God and rely on His guidance. (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

I find the declaration in Ecclesiastes 4:6 arresting and thought-provoking. “Better is a handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.”   This highlights the contrast between contentment and greed, or purpose and fantasy.  Ecclesiastes 5:10 should liberate everyone from the bondage of desire for stuff.  We should seek God, not stuff.

If we want to be free from fantasy and delivered from the black hole of inordinate desire for wealth and the fluff of stuff, the answer is in Ecclesiastes 5:20.

What we see is that doing God’s will and loving what we do blocks out the morbid thoughts of our mortality (which immobilize us and rob us of the enjoyment of life).   It helps us stay focused on God and His call.  Our life view expands from now to forever!   We become compelled by purpose, not controlled by stuff.

1 Corinthians 9:16 speaks of my heart and could be translated to include any purpose or call. “Woe to me if I don’t preach the gospel!”   Woe to me if I don’t pursue God’s assignment for my life!  Our whole focus should be God (His Kingdom is eternal), not fortune or fame (Earthly and temporary).

1 Corinthians 10:23 gives us a vital key to life.   Don’t do it because you can; do what is right every time.  Do what builds others up because in strengthening others, we strengthen the Body (of which we are a part).

Are we Wind Chasers or God Chasers?  The answer is in what we invest ourselves in! If we chase things while also trying to chase after God, we are double-minded and unstable in Everything!   Does that please God? Does that build up?

Yes, we have responsibilities, but what consumes our hearts and thoughts? Are we wind chasers?