Loving Our Neighbors
“There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. ‘For whom am I toiling,’ he asked, ‘and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?’ This too is meaningless—a miserable business!” Ecclesiastes 4:8 (NIV)
Pastor David Gibson calls attention to how Chapter 4 of Ecclesiastes probes the human heart. “All this striving and toiling, working and working and working and working; it is all motivated by me. But what about others? What do they need?”
Jesus calls us to love our neighbor, which can be challenging to do when it comes to our wealth. However, Ecclesiastes provides a unique perspective and invites us to consider how we spend our time, money, and talents during the brevity of life.
Gibson, D. (2017). Living Life Backwards: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway.
Erica Smith lives with her husband, J.R., and children Jeremiah and Eva in Fort Wayne, IN. She has spent her career in the financial services industry and is actively involved with Pathway Community Church’s Thrive Ministry.