The pursuit of success can drag you down and lead you away from God’s Word and Spirit. Only by stepping away from life’s rat race will you begin to experience real success and satisfaction on God’s terms.

This section of Ecclesiastes, though direct and bold, is very much in tune with life today.

Life is exciting! Life is fun! Life is happy! Like Jim Elliot once said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” You’re on the mission field—get at it! Have a ball! Go for it!

Ecclesiastes 9:11-18 is a section of Scripture that invites you to pull out of the rat race and take an honest, studied look at life.

We’re all born with a depraved heart, which can deteriorate towards evil...if not for the restraining grace of God.

In Ecclesiastes 9:11-18, each verse is a maxim, loosely connected to the next, comprising a whole chapter of contrasts: wisdom versus folly.

In Ecclesiastes 10:12-20 Solomon goes further into detail, supplying additional information about the characteristics of a fool.

When the Bible paints a portrait it doesn’t remove the imperfections. It’s reassuring to know the men and women God used to accomplish His will were real people.

As we age we become more cautious and risk getting stuck in a rut. Becoming content with a tedious lifestyle of fear bordering on boredom isn’t living, it’s existing. Where in the Scriptures do you find “Don’t exert yourself?”

Perhaps the best way to paraphrase Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 would be the five-word command, “Stop existing and start living!”