Do you know who Claire Trevor was? You’re kidding? You don’t?
OK, let’s try this. Who was Nathan Meyer Rothschild? You don’t know him either? That’s strange.
One more try. Who was John Garner? Hmmmm. I guess you don’t know very much.
Or maybe there is another reason you don’t know these names. Despite the fact that most people seek after the three things these people possessed, nobody remembers mans’ conquests for long.
Hey, I think Solomon wrote about that three thousand years ago. “Everything is meaningless, utterly meaningless” (Ecc.1:1).
Claire Trevor was a glamorous leading lady who won an Academy Award in 1948. How quickly we forget. “This is all so meaningless! For the wise person and the fool both die, and in the days to come, both will be forgotten” (Ecc.2:15).
Nathan Meyer Rothschild was the richest man in the world in the first half of the nineteenth century. Unfortunately his fame could not buy his life. He died in his fifties of an infected abscess. “But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please Him. Even this, however, is meaningless, like chasing the wind (Ecc.2:25).
John Garner was the Vice-president of the United States for eight years under FDR. I’ll bet he got the best table at every restaurant he visited. “He might become the leader of millions and be very popular. But then the next generation grows up and rejects him. So again, it is all meaningless, like chasing the wind” (Ecc.4:16).
Fame. Fortune. Power. Ppfffttt. All gone. A vapor. Like chasing the wind. Meaningless. John Piper recently asked, “What are you going to say to King Jesus when He judges you? Here Jesus. Here is my boat. Look at my golf swing, Jesus.”
Honestly, I don’t want to guilt you. I want to encourage you to get on board. What are you doing that will last?
Is it really that hard to hand out a Gospel tract? Are you sure you couldn’t talk to a loved one about their need for righteousness? What will you tell King Jesus? “I couldn’t lead someone to you because…” Because what?
Come on. Let’s all just lose our excuses and get on it. Get equipped. Practice. Pray for help. Then do it. Do something for King Jesus that will last longer than anything Claire, Nathan or John ever did. Win someone for the Savior.
Here is Solomon’s (and my) final conclusion. “Fear God and obey His commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” (Ecc.12:13,14)
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Hmmm. I have listened to Todd and read his articles for sometime. Something is terribly familar to me about them. And then I realized......Anyone remember the Sheparding Movement from the 70's and 80's? Todd's a little young but he would have made a GREAT disciple of the four men who founded one of the most dysfunctional movements in recent history: "I am right and my interpretation of scripture is right and if you don't believe that, you are going to hell...."
Been there. Done that.
My prayer for Todd is simple: That you may know that great mystery which is CHRIST IN US, the hope of glory.
Blessings. Click here to reply to this post
This is abusing Ecceliastes. First of all, "meaningless" is a terrible translation. Life isn't meaningless... it is meaningless apart from God. That's the point of Ecclesiastes, not that everything on earth is worthless or meaningless, because that's not true. Obviously the things we do on earth affect our afterlife, and the lives of others on earth. A better translation of that Hebrew word, I think is "vain"---as the KJV and NKJV have it. Vain can mean 3 different things in Eccl. depending on the context. Sometimes it does mean meaningless, but its always within relationship to whether it was done for God.
Also, concerning fame, riches, power. These aren't "meaningless" either. You would have to be a fool to think otherwise. Sure, no one remembers Rothschild or Garner, but did they have an impact on the world? Absolutely. What does it matter if we still remember them? How many people can name who the great emperors and kings in even greater positions of power throughout the millenia? Very few. But God still shaped the world through them, whether they knew it or we know it. God gives some wealth, others power, others fame. Sometimes all three. The issue is whether they use these gifts as a testimony to Jesus Christ and the furtherment of His gospel. Click here to reply to this post
Re: Re: Hey Jesus. Heres My Golf Swing!
Posted On: 03/19/06 04:17:14 PM
Age 57, VA
Good grief, why do you split hairs when you seem to believe the same thing. You say, "The issue is whether they use these gifts as a testimony to Jesus Christ and the furtherment of His gospel." The writer says "Do something for King Jesus that will last longer than anything Claire, Nathan or John ever did. Win someone for the Savior."
Some say poTAtoe and some say POtatoe. Vanity! Meaningless! is life that is not lived for the Lord,but rather for self.-you say "Vanity," I say "Futility: and he says "Meaningless!" In the essentials "unity," in the "NON_ESSENTIALS" "liberty!" Click here to reply to this post
Re: Re: Re: Hey Jesus. Heres My Golf Swing!
Posted On: 03/21/06 01:51:26 PM
Age 21, OH
We may have the same conclusion, but he arrives at in a different way---a wrong way, in my opinion. I'm not really sure what this has to do with 'essentials' vs 'non-essentials', but oh well. Click here to reply to this post
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hey Jesus. Heres My Golf Swing!
Posted On: 03/22/06 11:01:08 PM
Age 57, VA
If you are still there, what I mean by the essentials vs the non-essentials is that whether or not I say road, street, or highway to describe where I drove my car, vehicle or automobile, it is non-essential to salvation or the message of the Cross. Therefore, I hope you would grant me "liberty" in my choice of synonymns when we do not agree. However if I decide to talk about the Trinity, it is essential that we agree and be in "unity," since the Trinity is a central doctrine of our faith. Augustine said,"In the essentials unity, in the non-essentails liberty, in all things love." Karen Click here to reply to this post
Re: Re: Hey Jesus. Heres My Golf Swing!
Posted On: 03/19/06 01:04:10 PM
Age 57, VA
Good grief, why do you split hairs when you seem to believe the same thing. You say, "The issue is whether they use these gifts as a testimony to Jesus Christ and the furtherment of His gospel." The writer says "Do something for King Jesus that will last longer than anything Claire, Nathan or John ever did. Win someone for the Savior."
Some say poTAtoe and some say POtatoe. Vanity! Meaningless! is life that is not lived for the Lord,but rather for self.-you say "Vanity," I say "Futility: and he says "Meaningless!" In the essentials "unity," in the "NON_ESSENTIALS" "liberty!" Click here to reply to this post
Re: Hey Jesus. Heres My Golf Swing!
Posted On: 03/16/06 03:11:32 PM
Age 30, LA
Awsome article. So true. Are we storing up treasures in heaven? The one thing we cant do in heaven is share our faith with a non-believer. We need to do it now while we still have time. Click here to reply to this post
