Hello Vanity

“For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” -1 John 2:16-17

Vanity has made herself appealing! She has alluring eyes, painted nails and red lips. Why do you think the bible in so many places warns us of committing adultery with her?

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?” -James 4:4

Vanity is enticing and presents herself as irresistibly beautiful and appealing.

The only problem is, you’re not her only lover. She’s pursuing many others beside you, and you will never have her as your own.

Ultimately, we all find out as King Solomon did, that Vanity can’t be held. She is fleeting and vacuous.

Solomon has everything the world can give but he still feels empty. Lots of land, big houses, any woman he could want and enough money to make him the richest man in the world and it’s still not enough.

“I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;  I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.  I bought male and female slaves and I had home born slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines.” -Ecclesiastes 2:4-8

Did you notice how many times Solomon uses the phrase “for my myself”? He was definitely in love with and focused on himself! Life was all about Solomon and the kingdom he was building!

As time went on, however, Solomon began to realize that having it all didn’t really matter.

“All of life is far more boring than words could ever say. Our eyes and our ears are never satisfied with what we see and hear. Everything that happens has happened before; nothing is new, nothing under the sun.” -Ecclesiastes 1:8-9

Solomon had slept with Vanity and came out being bored with life.

Pursuing Vanity is like “striving after the wind”- grasping for that which we can never hold and reaching for that which flirts only to quickly allude us. The world is built on the foolish and ellusive nature of Vanity.

 

The world at this very moment holds up Vanity as a prize to be pursued and captured!

 

But Vanity can’t be kept, she’s fleeting.

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is fleeting…” -Proverbs 31:30

In the end Vanity will fly away. Beautiful though this world may appear, it is not enduring.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” -Isaiah 40.8