At the online prayer meeting of the Wujing Gospel Church in Shanghai on May 29th, Teacher Zhu Weifeng preached on the theme "All Joy and Wealth are Vanity."
I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 2:1)
"The evangelist felt that wisdom was limited, so he began to experiment by exploring the meaning of life through earthly pleasures," Teacher Zhu shared.
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2: 10-11)
This passage covers a wide breadth of thought concerning wisdom. Teacher Zhu explained that we should try different life experiences and in this way, we would know what will last forever and have absolute benefits. Don’t give up experimenting with both the positive and negative.
Many people would keep looking for happiness because of emptiness and boredom. For example, some looked for freshness and happiness by traveling various places. When you went to a beautiful spot, you would sigh: “Wow! This place is beautiful, very pleasing to the eye! And the environment is beautiful!” Although you might be happy while traveling, when it was over and you came home with a tired body and only emptiness left, it was as if happiness has ended also. Then you began to look for the next journey. The joy of hedonism did not last long but was short-lived.
The evangelist first pursued happiness through drunkenness, and then experienced enjoyment through having the power of a great king. But in the end, he found that the pursuit of pleasure and continuous labor was the same as wisdom. It was futile and without benefit. Paul, before he repented, had unmatched zeal. He said he was a blameless follower of the law. However, when he turned to Jesus, he found that this had no value. He believed those who are self-reliant and self-righteousness were full of garbage.
Finally, Teacher Zhu shared :"We are created according to the image and likeness of God. Our purpose is to delight in and glorify Him, and enjoy His love. It is impossible to find anything that can truly satisfy people’s heart as God can. Only by turning to God can we be fulfilled."
- Translated by Elaina Wu
