14 The disloyal one will get what his conduct deserves,
and a good one, what his deeds deserve. (Proverbs 14:14 CSB)

Solomon’s proverbs have so much to offer us in the way of solid scriptural advice for living. They are practical and provide quite a lot of commentary on the effects of our behavior. It is also believed that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, where he penned ”vanity of vanities, all is vanity”.

You see, what Solomon came to understand that in our fallen world every action, good or bad is pointless. Which, I know, is really heavy. To think of life as pointless is pretty disheartening. However, the theme of both books of scripture point us to the fact that all actions outside of those we do for God and through God are truly pointless. They are all a chasing after the wind.

Even the most wildly successful, the most wealthy, the most glamorous, the most powerful who are revered on earth, will die and leave here with nothing. Nothing but what they did in God’s name and for His glory. They, hopefully, will find themselves in heaven but with nothing of what they had. There, only our reputation built in God will matter.

So, should we not strive for success? Yes, we should. We should use what talents God has given us to their utmost. But in doing so we must acknowledge the One who deserves all of the credit. And that is not us.