Is Life Worth Living?

I want to read Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 to get us started in our series. “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. ‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?”

The question that we ask today, and which we will answer over the next several weeks, is, “Is life worth living?”

I looked up some statistics this week. 16.2 million adults suffer from depression annually in the United States. 74,000 commit suicide annually. And over a million annually in America attempt to take their own lives. It’s an epidemic. Many basically have come to the conclusion, with Solomon, that with all our prosperity, with all our wealth, with all the things we boast of in America, life is not worth living. For many life is empty. They search for satisfaction and try to find real purpose and meaning.

The problem is, like Solomon, they are looking at life without God. God is not their center. God is not the goal. He is not the purpose and the goal of their life. When you take God out of the equation, when you take God out of your life, life becomes vain and empty and meaningless.

I want to introduce to you in verses 1-3, the book of Ecclesiastes. The title is forged for us in the first few words: “the words of the Preacher.” The author of the book calls himself a “Preacher.” So the word “Ecclesiastes” has the idea of a person addressing an assembly, a group of people with someone preaching to them. So the author is called “the Preacher,” but he is not so much a preacher as he is a philosopher. He is actually recounting for us—and Jewish tradition has it—that at the end of his life, he looked around at all that he had, all that he thought—he was the wisest man who ever lived—and he concluded that life under the sun without God is empty and vexation of spirit. “All is vanity.”

We find the author in verse 1. He is “the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” I believe that tradition is accurate in holding that David’s son, Solomon, who is the only one of David’s sons to became king in Jerusalem, is the author of the book of Ecclesiastes.

It is interesting that Ecclesiastes is in the group of the Old Testament books known as the “books of poetry.” There are five of them: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Three of the five were written by Solomon: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. But we’re not sure of that. Some believe he wrote Song of Solomon as a young man, and he was the lover; he wrote Proverbs in middle age, and he was the wise man; and he wrote Ecclesiastes in his old age, when he became cynical, critical, pessimistic and apathetic as he looked at all of life and said, “All is vanity” and vexation of spirit.

So the title of the book comes from “the Preacher.” That’s where we get our word “Ecclesiastes” from. The Greek translation in the Old Testament is derived from the word “ekklesia.” We get our word “church” or “assembly” from it. It means a group of people or an assembly where the preacher is addressing them. And the author is identified as Solomon, again, in verse 12. He calls himself “king over Israel in Jerusalem.”

The theme of the book is in verse 2: “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” You are going to get to know this key word very well. It is used 37 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. Basically what it means is “emptiness” or “nothingness.” It’s like a soap bubble when it pops, and there is nothing there. It’s vanity. It’s like a puff of smoke that vanishes. So it’s a word used to express emptiness, nothingness or vanity.

The second key phrase is in verse 3. “What profit has a man from all his labor…”—we’ll see that word quite often, also—“…in which he toils under the sun?” The first key word is “vanity,” appearing 37 times, and the second key phrase is “under the sun,” appearing 30 times. “Under the sun” means “life without God.” It means you’re looking at the world. Everything about life and everything about the world is evaluated without God. So it’s “under the sun.” In other words, it’s not from heaven. Solomon also uses the phrase “below heaven” or “on the earth.” It’s the concept of life without God.

So Solomon became a philosopher, he turned to humanism and he concluded that life without God is emptiness and vexation of spirit. Solomon became the wisest, wealthiest and most powerful man living in Israel at that time, and perhaps in all the world, but his heart had turned away from God.

The Bible tells us that when he became king, God came to him and asked, “Solomon, what is it that you want?” Solomon said, “I want an understanding heart, that I may rule Your people with wisdom.” God said, “Because you haven’t asked for treasures or riches, I am going to give you an understanding heart and also wealth, riches and treasures.” So Solomon was wise—he wrote many of the Proverbs—but he didn’t follow his own wisdom when he became old. It’s very sad when someone walks with God, and then in their sunset years, they become bitter and cynical, their hearts become hardened and they turn away from God. That’s what happened to Solomon.

So Solomon went into the laboratory of life to perform some experiments to see if life is truly worth living. But the sad part is that he forgot God. He concluded that life without God, “under the sun,” is not worth living.

I want to look at these first two chapters, this dialogue of Solomon. We are going to see four reasons why he believed that life was not worth living; that is, of course, without God. The first reason is in Ecclesiastes 1:4-11; it’s the monotony of life. Sometimes if God is not involved in our life, or if He is not the center of our life, life becomes very monotonous.

This is how he describes it: “One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again.”

He says, “All things are full of labor…”—in other words, they are wearisome and empty—“…man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” Nothing you see and nothing you hear brings you pleasure or joy. “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new’? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after.”  

There are two sections to these verses. The first is verses 4-7, where he basically says that nothing changes; and the second section is verses 8-11, where he says that nothing is new.

So Solomon got old, grumpy and cantankerous. He said that nothings changes and nothing is new; life is monotonous. If I were to talk to Solomon, I would say, “Solomon, you’ve forgotten about God. God brings zest to life, purpose to life and meaning to life. If you find your life monotonous, it could be that you’ve forgotten God.”

Let me point out a few things in these verses. Solomon looked at the earth and said that it’s fixed; it doesn’t change. It just continues the same, verse 4. He looked at the sun: it rises in the morning and then goes down in the evening. The earth stays the same; the sun comes up and goes down. Then he looked at the wind. So he looked at the earth, fire and wind. Verse 6 says that “The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit.” Welcome to Menifee. Every afternoon the wind comes from the south and whirls about and then goes. Solomon is basically saying that everything is the same; nothing changes.

Then Solomon focuses on the water. So you have earth, fire, wind and water. “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again.” So the water evaporates, the clouds come over the land, the rain comes down, the rivers flow to the sea and the water evaporates again. It’s the circle of life. It’s like the Lion King theme, which is life apart from God. One generation dies, and another generation is born. The earth stays fixed; the sun comes up and the sun goes down, the wind blows and the wind stops, the water comes from heaven, rushes into the sea and the sea is not full. Nothing really changes.

Without God, you become apathetic and think no one can change. Years ago, I did a ride-along with LAPD, Rampart Division. I spent eight hours in an LAPD vehicle with the police. They were looking at things that were going on in the city. It was the most radical experience I’ve ever had. The police were very cynical: “These people can’t change. These people are all messed up, and nothing’s going to change.”

As a pastor, I was able to share with them how God can change a person’s life. “If anyone is in Christ…‘old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.’” Many of the people we saw that night in LA on that ride-along are no different than the people who come to my church on Sunday morning. Such were some of them, but now they are washed, they’re changed and born again.

Can you testify that things do change? That your life has changed? That God’s Spirit has changed you? God brings zest to life.

Solomon says that there is really nothing new. How true that is. Only God can create something from nothing. Have you ever noticed how fashions return? Bellbottoms come back in. (God, have mercy on us!) Tie-dye comes back. A few years ago there was this “new thing” called “lava lamps.” Not really; that’s from 1971. If I just kept all my clothes and all my junk, I would be happenin’ right now. It all recycles, so don’t get rid of your clothes. As a matter of fact, wear them now, and you’ll be ahead of the crowd. People will think you’re a dork, but you’ll be hip. “This is what will be in in 15 years. You just watch; I was on the cutting edge.”

Solomon also said, in verse 11, that the reason he thinks there is nothing new under the sun is because there is no remembrance of the former things. That’s what happens when you get old. You peak at 25 and then it’s downhill. The farther you get downhill, the faster the slide goes. And the further down the slide you go, you even forget you’re on the slide. You have all these answers, but nobody asks you any questions, because you’re just an old guy. (I just thought I’d encourage you.)

I think it’s funny when we talk about the “good old days.” Someone asked, “What did you talk about in the ‘good old days’?”

“We talked about the ‘good old days.’” The “good old days” are the result of a great imagination and a loss of memory. Nothing’s new and nothing’s changed.

The point I’d like to make is if God comes into the equation, God does bring newness, and God does bring change. Do you know that God answers prayer? Do you know that you can call on God, and He hears and answers prayer?

What about Joshua, when he called on the Lord to have the sun stand still? Solomon said, “The sun comes up, and the sun goes down.” How about the sun standing still? That’ll spice up your day.

Joshua comes home and his wife asks, “Hey, how was your day?”

“Awesome! You should have seen what God did today. He held the sun while we discomfited our enemies!”

How about Israel, when God answered their plea, He parted the Red Sea and they walked across on dry land? How’s that for not being boring? Pretty exciting; yea? As they walked through the Red Sea, it probably looked like a giant aquarium. They saw the sides of the water were held up. They walked across on dry land.

And then there were the miracles around Elijah the prophet. He prayed, and the heavens stopped bringing forth their rain. God actually intervened in nature. Elijah prayed again, and God brought the rain. Isn’t that cool? To think that you could call on God, and God would intervene in nature.

God sent ravens to bring Elijah food. They brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening. Hand-delivered raven bread. Ravens are scavengers. They don’t bring people food; they take your food. That’s like being on the beach, and a seagull brings you a bag of Cheetos. It tells you, “Enjoy the day.” Wow! This doesn’t happen.

When you walk with the Lord, you don’t get bored. When you’re walking with Jesus Christ, life is full.

How about Mary in the New Testament? She was visited by an angel, and the angel proclaimed that even though she was a virgin and knew not a man, she would become pregnant. How’s that for an exciting day?

Then Jesus was God from heaven, and He performed all kinds of miracles. His first miracle was turning water into wine. Every wino I’ve ever witnessed to knows that story. “Read it to me, pastor.” Jesus just did that to gladden the heart of man. He went to a wedding—it’s okay to have fun—but God has to be engaged.

If you’re seeking pleasure and fulfillment, but God’s not a part of it, it’s only going to lead to vanity or emptiness. God becomes your Father when you trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior in faith, and you become a new creation. “Old things have passed away…all things have become new.” That’s when you can sing, “This is my Father’s world.”

Then when the sun comes up, instead of saying, “Aw, it’s a new day,” you say, “Good morning, Lord.” And when the sun goes down, you say, “Good night, Lord.” He watches over you while you sleep. What a blessing that is.

The second thing that frustrated Solomon and made him conclude that life was not worth living was the vanity of humanistic wisdom, verses 12-18. “I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.” Again, this is most likely Solomon. “And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven. This burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.”

This is not God’s wisdom; it’s man’s wisdom. So Solomon moves from being a scientist to being a philosopher. Do you know that science can’t answer the question of the mystery of life—where life came from, the origin of life? They keep trying to go back far enough, but scientists are lost; there are things they don’t know. They don’t know where we came from and why we’re here and where we’re going. But God has revealed that to us in His Word.

So Solomon now becomes a philosopher, and philosophy is the pursuit of truth, though they never really find the truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Verse 14, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun…”—there’s that phrase—“…and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered. I communed with my heart, saying, ‘Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.’ And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

The point here is that man apart from God, and His revealing Himself to us, lacks this wisdom and this knowledge. The Bible asks, “Can you search out the deep things of God?” The answer is “No.” So the philosopher cannot find, know or understand God. The atheist cannot find, know or understand God. You can’t by your own intellect, which is finite, comprehend the infinite. Since we are physical and temporal, we cannot understand that which is transcendent, is eternal, that which is God.

The only way to know God is for God to reveal Himself to mankind, and God has revealed Himself in many ways. He has revealed Himself primarily in His Word. The Bible is God’s autobiography. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” So God does exist, we came by God’s creation, we are here by God’s design and we cannot find fulfillment and happiness until we find God. So all of our human wisdom is inadequate to know God.

“Oh, I’m going to go to college and take psychology, philosophy and I’m going to find the meaning of life.” Good luck. If you have a philosophy class and you find the truth, the class is then over. There is no more need. You’ve supposedly found the truth. But you can find the truth in Jesus Christ.

There is a third reason Solomon thought that life was not worth living. This is the one he is the most popular for. It’s the vanity of worldly pleasure. It’s the vanity or emptiness of worldly pleasure apart from God. It’s the Playboy lifestyle that he saw led to emptiness, chapter 2, verses 1-3. “I said in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter—‘Madness!’; and of mirth, ‘What does it accomplish?’ I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.”

I want you to notice that Solomon starts with the pursuit of pleasure in verse 1: “Enjoy pleasure.” This is called “hedonism.” It’s an epicurean philosophy that pleasure is the chief good of life. It’s like the Vanity Fair of its time. Have a good time. Have money and riches and popularity and things. So Solomon gave himself over to pleasure, but in verse 1 he said it is “vanity.”

So then he gave himself to laughter. What’s popular today is stand-up comedy. I think of the sad story of Robin Williams. Life for him was not worth living. He could make other people laugh, but he could not laugh.

I heard the story of a man who went to seek help from a psychiatrist. He was troubled, depressed and discouraged. The psychiatrist tried to help him all that he could, but to no avail. When the man was leaving his office, the psychiatrist said, “There’s a new comedian in town, an Italian clown. I hear he has gotten great reviews. He’s making people laugh. Why don’t you go hear the clown tonight and laugh away your sorrow?”

The patient turned back to the doctor and said, “I am that clown.” It’s strange sometimes that we can make other people laugh, but we’re living in emptiness and sorrow. There’s no joy that comes from knowing God.

Then Solomon turned to wine, verse 3. This is kind of a wine, women and song way of life. “I searched in my heart how to satisfy my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.” But it was emptiness.

Then he turns to works. He got into construction and building things. Many times people try to find fulfillment in “workaholism,” just working all the time and making money. They think that will bring them happiness. Verses 4-7, “I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools…”—no doubt irrigation—“…from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me.”

He became very wealthy. Verses 8-10, “I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desire I did not keep from them.” This is amazing. “I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure…”—anything he looked at, he got for himself—“…for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor.”

Verse 11, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.”

So Solomon said that not only was life monotonous, but wealth is vain and empty. When will we learn the lesson that money can’t buy you happiness? But you know, like I do, that when you see the ads on TV of “Win $5,000 a week for life,” you start to think, Yeah! That would be awesome! What would I do with that? It should say, “Ruin your life for the rest of your life.”

What we need to do is live a life of dependence on God, and trust and faith in God. Jesus said, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” So you’re the richest man in the world, but you die, leave it all to someone else and go into an eternity without Christ. Only God can fill the emptiness in your life. It’s not going to be filled with wine, women or song. It’s not going to be filled with works, vineyards, a bigger house or a bigger car, a new job, more money in the bank, a bigger nest egg. These things won’t satisfy.

God has made us for himself, but sin has brought us separation from God. We’re empty and trying to fill that void because of sin. We’re born separated from God, so there is this constant search. It’s like a carrot on the end of a stick. As long as there is more, as long as I can get something I need. Solomon had everything that his heart desired, but it actually popped like a bubble. He said, “It’s all vanity.”

Suicide is quite prevalent among the rich, those who have everything but realize it is vanity and empty. They check out of life.

But God has a solution to this problem of sin. It’s a Savior. His name is Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,” Jesus Christ. Jesus came into this world, died on a cross and took your sin and my sin and paid the penalty for it in full. He was buried and three days later, he rose from the dead. And through believing in and trusting in Jesus Christ, your sins can be forgiven and you can become a child of God. You can have a relationship with God as your Father. He’ll walk with you, talk with you and lead you. You’ll have His providential care, His protection, His provision and His promises. What a wonderful thing it is to know God and walk with Him!

St. Augustin said, “God made us for Himself. Our souls are restless until they find their rest in God.” Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yolk upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

When Jesus encountered the woman of Samaria at the well in John 4, Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him…will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Every earthly goal, every earthly ambition—you can write over the top of it, “Drink and you’ll be thirsty again. But if you come to Jesus Christ, He will satisfy the thirst and longing of your soul, and you’ll never thirst again.

Here is the fourth and last reason that Solomon said life is not worth living. The reason is because of the certainty of death. Worldly pleasures cannot satisfy. The thought that we will all die gave Solomon no hope beyond the grave. Chapter 2, starting in verse 14, it says, “The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived that the same event happens to them all.” He’s talking about death happening to the wise just like to the fool. “So I said in my heart, ‘As it happens to the fool, it also happens to me, and why was I then more wise?’ Then I said in my heart, ‘This also is vanity.’ For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool! Therefore…”—here’s his conclusion—“…I hated life because the work that was done under the sun…”—without God—“…was distressing to me.” So Solomon came to hate life.

The French atheist, Voltaire, said, “I hate life, but I’m afraid to die.” A lot of people are in that same place; they hate life but are afraid of what lies beyond the grave.

Solomon continues, in verse 17, “For all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.” He says he’s going to die and leave it all behind. He comes to this conclusion that because the rich man dies like the poor man, the wise man dies like the foolish man—death ends it all—life is empty.

Life is short. The Bible describes it as a vapor of smoke; it appears for a time and then vanishes away. It’s like a flower that springs up fresh in the morning and then withers with the noon heat. The Bible teaches the brevity of life. It also teaches the universality or certainty of death.

Do you know how many people die? One hundred percent. Ten out of every ten people living will die. The statistics on death are impressive. But we want to push it out of our minds. “I’m young and healthy; nothing’s going to happen to me.” You can be going through an intersection, a car hits you and the next thing you know, you’re in eternity. You could go to bed tonight, kiss your wife good night and you’re gone in the morning. I’ve heard it happen many times. The Bible says, “What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?” So life is short and death is certain. The Bible also says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

In Luke 12, Jesus told the parable of the foolish farmer. It says that a person came to Jesus and said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” When Jesus heard that petition, He knew that person was covetous. So Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Then Jesus told him a story. A man had a farm that brought forth an abundant crop. It was a bumper crop. With so much grain and corn, he didn’t know where to store it. Rather than distribute it to hungry people or to the poor, he said he would tear down his barns and build bigger barns. He said, “I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’”

When he was going to bed that night, God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” Then Jesus drove home the point by saying, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Jesus said that you’re a fool to get rich in this world but not get rich toward God.

That’s all Solomon saw as he looked around. How foolish and empty and vain it is to live life without God. You can gain the whole world but lose your soul. Solomon came to the conclusion, “I hate life.”

Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Someone said, “No wonder he hated life.” No wonder he was depressed. He hated life. Everything was empty and vain.

Verse 24 is the conclusion. “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink…”—he’s not talking about hedonism here; he’s talking about pleasures from God—“…and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor.” He’s saying “enjoy your work and enjoy your life.” Notice then he says, “This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.” The only little ray of light in these first two chapters is in this verse. It ends with “God.” Because only God can bring purpose. Only God can bring meaning.

There are some of you who are experiencing vanity and emptiness. You get up in the morning, you go to work, you come home and go to bed. You turn the TV on; you turn the TV off. Eat your cereal, go to work, drive home. Life is monotonous. The sun comes up; the sun goes down. The wind blows in Menifee; the wind stops blowing in Menifee. You get married, raise your kids, your kids grow up, move away, you get old, you die, they bury you. God bless you. Have a happy day.

If there is no God, there is no hope. You live like a hog, and you die like a dog. That’s the way a lot of people live. Get all you can; can all you get. Then you die and leave it to someone else. You do all the hard work, and your kids get all your things. So the conclusion is that life “under the sun” is worthless without God. But God brings purpose to life. Solomon also said, “This…was from the hand of God.”

Do you have God as the center of your life? Do you wake up every morning and turn your thoughts to God? Do you listen to Him speak through His Word? Do you pray throughout the day? Do you give thanks to the Lord? When the sun rises, do you praise Him? When the sun sets, do you praise Him? The sunrise and the sunsets were given to make our hearts glad. You walk with Him and you talk with Him and you have fellowship with Him.

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Someone said, “Medical science can add years to your life, but only Jesus can add life to your years.” How true that is.

There are two groups I want to address. Number one, some of you aren’t saved; you haven’t been born again, and you aren’t a Christian. You’re in church, but that doesn’t make you a Christian. You’re in church, but your heart’s far from God. The Bible says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Maybe you need to turn from your sin today. You need to trust in Jesus and receive Him as your Savior; you need to be born again. You need to become a child of God.

The second group is you’re a Christian and you’ve made that commitment, but your heart has become hardened. Something has come into your life that has turned you away from God. Maybe it’s the pursuit of earthly wisdom. Maybe it’s the pursuit of earthly pleasures. Maybe it’s the pursuit of earthly things or wealth. Whatever it is, your heart has become cold and hard. Life has become empty, and you need to turn back to God today.