Solomon, in his last years, looked back over his life and made some assessments. The wisest man, apart from Christ, to ever walk the planet had experienced all that life had to offer; had tasted the good and the bad; and in his book of Ecclesiastes decried the foolishness of this life, apart from God.

Solomon began as a good king, wholly submitted to God and His will. God had rewarded his humility and burden for his people with great riches, fame, and above all, wisdom. Never had the world seen such a great king as Solomon. They came from all over the world to be amazed at both the wisdom of the man, and the grandeur of his kingdom.

In Solomon’s quest to know more, he decided to explore the world of pleasure. There were no limits to filling those desires. Solomon married seven hundred wives, and had three hundred concubines, all in an attempt to find satisfaction. Sadly, the result of Solomon’s pursuit was the departure of his heart away from God.

Solomon expressed the despair from his pursuits in…

Ecclesiastes 2:10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

Solomon’s end was tragic. How could he have thrown away such a grand life, enjoying the blessing of God upon his life, and the power of great wisdom? The answer is given in his ‘miserable’ book. A life spent trying to satisfy one’s own desires will always end in misery and discouragement.

Adversely, finding our desires in Christ, giving our will over to Him in everything we do, may provide for a difficult life, but the end result will be blessings beyond imagination. Once we discover that our desires tend to be deceitful, and often divert us away from Christ, we can begin the real transformation of being made into the likeness of Christ.

Solomon had it all; all, that is, that the world had to offer. There was no pleasure that was kept from him. He eventually discovered the futility of such a life, but not until having destroyed his own.

God has a life that is perfectly designed for each of His children. It may not be lined with worldly pleasures, but the joy of such a life will so overshadow the world, there will be no looking back.
Heaven will be eternal joy and complete satisfaction as we enjoy the Presence of the Lord.

God has made it so that we can live our lives today tasting that which is to come, a life in His presence.