What Are You Chasing After?

In Ecclesiastes 1:14, Solomon says, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Why did he say that everything is “a chasing after the wind?” Why was everything futile activity? Does that mean that I can do whatever I want and not be concerned with obedience to the will of God? Not so fast!


If you keep reading in Ecclesiastes you will find that Solomon was talking more about the motive for what was being done than what was actually being done. Listen to his conclusion: “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, [25] for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? [26] To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Eccl. 2:24-26).

Solomon’s conclusion is simply stated that to truly be happy, one must enjoy and be content with the provision of God. Solomon’s conclusion is restated by Paul in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Both Solomon and Paul realized that life is not about what they wanted. It was about what God wanted. It was about and still is about what God wants.

So why did Solomon say everything was meaningless? The answer is simple: because everything was being pursued for personal gain. Man has always had a desire for self-gratification and self-satisfaction. We are a society consumed with personal and instant fulfillment. John put it this way: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – come not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

The truth is, that we live in a “me” dominated society. It was in Solomon’s day, Paul’s day and even today in 2010. So how do we keep ourselves from falling into the “everything is meaningless” cycle?


We heed and obey the words of Paul mentioned earlier in Colossians 3:17. Our daily desire should be to bring glory to God in whatever we are doing. Whether it is mowing the yard, running errands, spending time with family, or resting on the couch, we should be doing ALL things to make God pleased.

I close with these words from Brother Lawrence, a cook in a 17th-century monastery: “One’s depth of spirituality does not depend on changing things you do but rather changing your motive – doing for God what you ordinarily do for yourself.”