#soap # Ecclesiastes 05 ## Title: Learn Contentment ## Scripture: (Ecclesiastes 5:19-20) “To every man whom God has given wealth and possessions, he has also given him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward, and to find enjoyment in his toil; these things are the gift of God. For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.” (NET) ## Observation: Solomon shows us what it means to be truly content. This is when we are able to enjoy what we have and not long for what we wish we had. If we can focus on the simple joys in life, we can become so busy being thankful, we don’t have time to wish for other things. The quickest way to lose thankfulness is to compare our lives to others. They may appear to have something better, but we have no idea what is going on behind the scenes. This is also a healthy view of work. We work hard, but then we are thankful for what our work produces. We are not constantly looking ahead to the point we cannot be thankful for what we have today. This is not saying we don’t want to move on and do better. It means we don’t allow that to steal the joy of today. ## Application: Be content and thankful. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for giving us more than we realize.