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We cannot control tomorrow, but we can receive the life God has given us today. Ecclesiastes 9 calls us to face the certainty of death, enjoy God’s ordinary gifts, and trust Him with the future. Because Jesus has risen, we can live faithfully and gratefully in the hope of the resurrection.

How do we live wisely in a world where righteous people suffer, wicked people prosper, and life doesn't always make sense?

In Ecclesiastes 7 Vs 15–8 Vs 17, we learn to fear God, acknowledge our own sinfulness, trust His justice, and rest in His wisdom even when we don't understand His ways.

What can sorrow teach us that comfort often cannot? In “The School of Sorrow,” Pastor Wesley DeVries walks through Ecclesiastes 7 Vs 1-14 to show how God can use grief, correction, and life’s limitations to make us wise. We’re encouraged to build a life of faithful character, choose patience over pride, and live in the present without letting anger or nostalgia take over. We can enjoy God’s blessings today and trust Him through adversity, even when we don’t know what tomorrow holds. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, who faced death and rose victorious over it.

Ecclesiastes warns that true peace is never found in the endless accumulation of material wealth or possessions. Instead, we must recognize that both our provisions and the capacity to enjoy them are gracious gifts from God. By trusting Him with the uncontrollable aspects of life, we find that contentment in Christ allows us to remain grateful even amidst hardship. Our deepest, lasting satisfaction rests solely in Jesus, who provides the hope of eternal life and the freedom to share generously.

Solomon teaches that approaching the Almighty requires intentional humility and profound reverence. We are commanded to guard our steps and watch our mouths to ensure our worship and promises align with His holiness. True fear of God is not a paralyzing terror, but a deep, awe-filled recognition of His majesty. This godly posture draws us into a more faithful and obedient relationship with our Creator.

When faced with the pervasive injustice, hollow competition, and loneliness of life under the sun, we are called to remain faithful by trusting God with what we cannot fix, enjoying our own God-given portion, and standing alongside those who suffer. While the world's systems often fail, our hope remains anchored in Jesus Christ, who endured the ultimate injustice for our sake and offers us redemption. By bringing our burdens to His Table, we find the strength to walk in righteousness, secure in the promise that our Savior sees our struggles and will eventually set all things right.

Life is composed of divinely appointed seasons, encompassing both joy and sorrow, yet none fall outside of God’s sovereign control. While our human perspective remains limited, Solomon teaches us that every hardship and opportunity is part of a larger story authored by the Almighty. Rather than viewing life as a wearying cycle, we are called to recognize the purpose within each stage and offer our work and relationships as acts of faithful worship. By trusting the One who sees the beginning and the end, we can live with conviction in our current place and find peace in His unfolding plan.

Wisdom is good. Work matters. But neither can defeat death or give us lasting control. Ecclesiastes reminds us to receive today’s good as a gift from God, hold it with an open hand, and trust the Giver. Through Christ’s resurrection, our hope rests not in what we can hold onto, but in the One who holds us.

Achieving everything you thought would satisfy you often reveals a hollow void, proving that wisdom, wealth, and pleasure cannot provide the lasting fulfillment only God can give. Like Solomon, you might build a life of worldly success, yet you remain powerless against the inevitability of death. True satisfaction isn’t found in what you build under the sun, but in what you receive from the Son. Jesus alone conquered death, offering the eternal life and purpose that no earthly pursuit can ever produce.

Ecclesiastes reveals that all human striving “under the sun” is ultimately a fleeting vapor that cannot sustain our need for meaning or satisfy the soul. Because earthly achievements are transient and eventually forgotten, attempting to center our lives upon them is futile idolatry. True purpose is found only in the resurrected Christ, who transcends the world’s vanity and makes all things new, allowing us to enjoy God’s gifts with proper perspective rather than enslaving ourselves to their temporary shadows.