Vanity...

Vanity is everywhere in society. Every time we turn on the TV, we see another actor or actress who basks in his or her vanity like Charlie Sheen. Vanity is the excessive belief of one's abilities or attractiveness to others. Vanity prevents us from being selfless as God outlines. We as God's children are all beautiful in our own way, but we shouldn't bask in beauty rather in the the beauty of God. God outlines how we should our life throughout the bible, but like many things vanity can take over our lives.

5 Verses on Vanity:

1."He who loves money will not be satisfied with money; nor he who loves wealth, will gain; this is also vanity" Ecclesiastes 4:9-11

Wealth is one of societies greatest downfall. We all worry about money. Many of us live our entire lives working so that one day we can be rich. But riches doesn't always make us happy, because often we are searching for all the wrong things. God is the only thing in our life that can bring us true joy. God wants us to put him first. If we put money first, we are no longer doing what God asks of us.

2. "Two is better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and he has not another to lit him up" 
Ecclesiastes 4:9-11

God wants us to love one another, but most of all God doesn't want us to go through life alone. He wants us to bask in the beauty of relationships which include friendship and marriage.

3. "Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will no longer take advice" Ecclesiastes 4:13

This statement we should hold dear to our heart. God would rather have us be wise than be foolish. We must listen to others even if we think that we are intelligent souls. God is constantly sending us messages but often we don't listen. We must open our ears, eyes, and heart to God and people in our life.

4. "Every man also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and find enjoyment in his toil; this is the gift of god" Ecclesiastes 5:19

God wants us to find joy in all of his gifts. God give us all that we need so that we can enjoy it. We should take pleasure in God's gift and praise God for what he has given us.

5. "Better is sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire; this is also vanity and a striving after wind" Ecclesiastes 6:9

We must not let desire control our lives. We all have wants, but we must not take pleasure in all of our desire. God is reminding us of Matthew 5:19; "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." God is reminding us not lose control of our desire as it is better to get rid of the temptation than to continue down the road of sin. 

One thing to remember is that life is not about wealth and riches. Modern society is so focused upon riches than it's relationship with God. 

We can apply these verses to a recent film that was remade, The Great Gatsby. In the film, Gatsby is a rich man that is filling a hole in his life with money. He lost the love of his life after fighting in the war. He later found out that she had married another man. This haunted Gatsby because his love for Daisy was so great. Gatsby tried to win Daisy over with money, but he couldn't.

Within the movie, Gatsby continues to reach seek the green light which he thought would lead him to Daisy. The green light symbolizes the impossible past. 

"All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing" Ecclesiastes 1:8

If we continue to seek things that do not fill us, we will become weary. Gatsby tries to search for a past that is no longer there. Instead, he becomes a man full of regret and jealousy. He does not walk with God which in turn leads to his death. 

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