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Day 190, or July 9. Nothing else compares. Our thoughts today are from Ecclesiastes 2,

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verse 1. I said to myself, Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is

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good. But that also proved to be meaningless.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Generally accepted to be the work of Solomon,

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the book of Ecclesiastes uses a Hebrew word which is traditionally translated as vanity

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in this book, more than the rest of the Old Testament. More modern Bibles use the word

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meaningless, which just about sums up the word, which implies futility and pointlessness.

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Written by the most outwardly successful king Israel ever had, but riddled with hopelessness

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that can only be remedied by God.

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And now today's action step. How many times have you heard advice to believe in yourself,

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that's all that matters. I always want to add, no, believe in someone greater than yourself

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and who won't let you down, and I don't know of anyone better than Jesus Christ. Simply

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self-belief is rarely enough in the long term, and Solomon knew that after he had tried just

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about everything else. Solomon's favourite word seems to be the I-word referring to himself.

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He was totally self-centred. He had the opportunity, power and wealth to try anything he fancied.

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And he did. However, he found it all to be meaningless, vanity.

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The best description I have ever heard about vanity is to liken it to a soap bubble. It

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looks terrific, but when you finally get hold of it, it disappears into thin air. There

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was no substance there. I'm not saying that all of the things the world offers are worthless.

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How can I say that sitting in a warm office with my laptop, mobile phone and printer ready

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to obey my every command? What I am saying is that there is someone superior to everything

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else and his name is Jesus, and he satisfies. He is the only one worth trusting with your

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life. Why not take this opportunity to listen to Day 21 again for more information about

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the satisfying Saviour, Jesus?