\u201cFor the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and collecting, to give to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless and a chasing after the wind.\u201d
Ecclesiastes 2:26<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is something about this verse that feels uncomfortable\u2026 because it forces us to stop and ask whether everything we are doing in life truly has meaning or is just wearing us out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ecclesiastes is not an optimistic book. It is honest. Solomon had already experienced everything: wealth, pleasure, projects, achievements\u2026 and in the end he reaches a powerful conclusion: without God, everything ends up feeling empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it says, \u201cto the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and joy,\u201d it\u2019s not just talking about intelligence or learning. It\u2019s talking about a life with direction. Someone who lives aligned with God and, as a result, finds something many are searching for but few actually have: peace within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It doesn\u2019t mean that person doesn\u2019t work\u2014of course they do. But there\u2019s a deep difference: their effort has meaning. There is purpose. There is joy in the process, not only at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then comes the part that hits harder:
\u201cbut to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and collecting\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is not talking about someone \u201cbad\u201d in the common sense, but someone who lives without taking God into account. It can be a successful, hardworking, disciplined person\u2026 but disconnected from what is eternal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then something interesting happens: they work, they strive, they accumulate\u2026 but in the end, they don\u2019t truly enjoy what they have. They live tired, anxious, always chasing something more. And what they build often ends up in someone else\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Solomon summarizes it as \u201cmeaningless and a chasing after the wind.\u201d
In other words: a lot of effort\u2026 for a satisfaction that never fully arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we think about it, this still happens today.
People who achieve everything they dreamed of\u2026 and still feel a void they can\u2019t explain.
Others, with less, but with God at the center, live with a peace that money cannot buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is the key we sometimes don\u2019t want to accept:
It\u2019s not about how much you have, but about who you are living to please.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because when we please God, He doesn\u2019t just bless what we do\u2026 He transforms how we live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it\u2019s worth pausing here for a moment\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pleasing God is not about being perfect\u2014it\u2019s about direction.
It\u2019s about truly seeking Him, not just when problems arise.
It\u2019s about obeying what you already know is right, even when it\u2019s hard.
It\u2019s about having a humble heart, willing to change.
It\u2019s about doing what is right even when no one is watching.
It\u2019s about putting God first before money, ego, or desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not religion\u2026 it\u2019s relationship.
It\u2019s living for God, not just believing in God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And there\u2019s another reality this verse confronts us with\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything you gather in this life will eventually stay here.
It may go to your children, your family\u2026 or even to people you never imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes\u2026 and as uncomfortable as it sounds, it can happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there is no clear plan, what you built could end up in someone else\u2019s hands\u2026 even the new partner of your spouse, or people who didn\u2019t value what took you years to build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even if there is a plan\u2026 you\u2019re no longer here to enjoy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the point is not who keeps it\u2026
the point is that you don\u2019t take it with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s where this verse becomes real:
you can spend your entire life accumulating\u2026 and in the end, someone else enjoys it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And yes, as strong as it sounds, someone else may come later\u2026 and enjoy what you built.
That\u2019s why it\u2019s not uncommon to see stories where someone works their whole life\u2026 and in the end, someone else lives off that effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s strong, but it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most honest reflection is this:
don\u2019t live just to leave things\u2026 live to leave purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because your possessions stay here\u2026
but your relationship with God is what truly lasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not about stopping work or giving up growth.
It\u2019s about not losing focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because you can gain a lot\u2026 and lose yourself in the process.
Or you can walk with God\u2026 and find joy even in the simple things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let me leave you with this reflection:
Is your life full\u2026 or just busy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if you feel like you\u2019ve been running without peace, accumulating without enjoying, achieving without meaning\u2026 maybe today is a good moment to reset your direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I invite you to pray with me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lord, sometimes I work so hard in life that I forget what matters most: pleasing You.
Teach me to live with purpose, not just with urgency.
Give me wisdom to understand what truly matters, and what is only draining me.
And above all, give me that joy that doesn\u2019t depend on what I have, but on walking with You.
Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Somos Cristianos, we connect hearts with Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We all work hard. We all want more. But what if everything we\u2019re chasing still leaves us empty? Solomon had it all\u2014wealth, success, achievements\u2014and still came to a powerful realization: without God, nothing truly satisfies. This reflection will challenge you, but it may also help you refocus your life on what really matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":14114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2861,2842,2871],"tags":[2979,3821,3025,3611,3926,3929,3111,3930,3468,3928,3913,2976,3842,3927,3874,3899,3174,3171,3645],"series":[3039],"class_list":["post-14116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-christian-life","category-featured_en","category-work-and-finances","tag-bible","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-christianreflection","tag-ecclesiastes","tag-eternallife","tag-faith","tag-faithmotivation","tag-god","tag-godfirst","tag-godisgood","tag-jesus","tag-purpose","tag-purposedrivenlife","tag-realfaith","tag-reflection","tag-solomon","tag-wisdom","tag-wordofgod","series-somos-cristianos-reflexiones-diarias"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lo-que-Salomon-descubrio-sobre-el-dinero.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/logo-sc_red_original160px.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/podcasters.amazon.com\/podcasts\/6e73db97-3f04-408e-9d35-fd4e33aab386","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcastsconnect.apple.com\/my-podcasts\/show\/somos-cristianos-%E2%80%93-reflexiones-diarias-de-fe-y-vida\/974e0a64-92cf-4487-a0f4-ab30643d6813\/episodes","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"deezer":{"key":"deezer","url":"https:\/\/www.deezer.com\/us\/show\/1002657781","label":"Deezer","class":"deezer","icon":"deezer.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SomosCristianos77\/podcasts","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"pandora":{"key":"pandora","url":"https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/podcast\/somos-cristianos-reflexiones-diarias-de-fe-y-vida\/PC:1001113906","label":"Pandora","class":"pandora","icon":"pandora.png"},"pocketcasts":{"key":"pocketcasts","url":"","label":"PocketCasts","class":"pocketcasts","icon":"pocketcasts.png"},"podcast_addict":{"key":"podcast_addict","url":"","label":"Podcast Addict","class":"podcast_addict","icon":"podcast-addict.png"},"podcast_de":{"key":"podcast_de","url":"","label":"Podcast.de","class":"podcast_de","icon":"podcast-de.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2giZxrAdrZZwxeClZoNFoV","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/show\/1113906","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"tunein":{"key":"tunein","url":"","label":"TuneIn","class":"tunein","icon":"tunein.png"},"yandex":{"key":"yandex","url":"","label":"Yandex","class":"yandex","icon":"yandex.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SomosCristianos77\/podcasts","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"},"iheartradio":{"key":"iheartradio","url":"","label":"iHeartRadio","class":"iheartradio","icon":"iheartradio.png"},"ivoox":{"key":"ivoox","url":"https:\/\/www.ivoox.com\/podcast-somoscristianos-org_sq_f13111753_1.html","label":"iVoox","class":"ivoox","icon":"ivoox.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/en\/feed\/podcast\/somos-cristianos-reflexiones-diarias","embedCode":"
What Solomon discovered about money\u2026 and almost no one wants to accept.<\/a><\/blockquote>