LABOUR MINUS GOD = VANITY

Ecclesiastes 1:3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

This is a general proof of the vanity when there is no profit comes to a man for all his labour; though it is put by way of question, it carries in it a strong negative. Men enjoy all they get by labour; for men, through sin, is doomed and born unto it. Job 5:7 Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

 He gets his bread by the sweat of his brow, which is a part of the curse for sin; and the wealth and riches got by a diligent hand, with a divine blessing, are got by labour; and so all knowledge of natural and civil things is acquired through much labour and weariness of the flesh; and these are things a man labours for "under the sun", which measures out the time of his labour: when the sun rises, a man goes forth to his labour; and, by the light and comfortable warmth of it, he performs his work with more exactness and cheerfulness; in some climates, and in some seasons, its heat, especially at noon, makes labour burdensome, which is called, bearing "the heat and burden of the day". Matthew 20:12 These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day. and, when it sets, it closes the time of service and labour, and therefore the servant earnestly desires the evening shadow, Job 7:2.

 But now, of what profit and advantage is all this labour man takes under the sun, towards his happiness in the world above the sun? That glory and happiness, which lies in supercelestial places in Christ Jesus? none at all. Or, "what remains of all his labour?" as it may be rendered; that is, after death: 

"what is there remains to a man after he is dead, of all his labour which he laboured under the sun in this world?'

Nothing at all. He goes naked out of the world as he came into it; he can carry nothing away with him of all his wealth and substance he has acquired; nor any of his worldly glory, and grandeur, and titles of honour; these all die with him, his glory does not descend after him; wherefore it is a clear case that all these things are vanity of vanities; see Job 1:21 and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.". 

And, indeed, works of righteousness done by men, and trusted in, and by which they labour to establish a justifying righteousness, are of no profit and advantage to them in the business of justification and salvation; we can only be justified and saved by the blood of Jesus that was shed for the remission of our sins.

Indeed, when these are done from right principles, and with right views, the labour in them shall not be in vain; God will not forget it; it shall have a reward of grace, though not of debt.

Prayer: Father God, please help me not to follow the world's vanity always draw me

to you, closer and closer in Jesus' name. Amen.

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The Lady Evangelist Kim

gospelrevolutionmovement@gmail.com