With the Lunar New Year only four days away, it would be good for us to reflect on the real blessings that God has bestowed upon us – not the material blessings, which are only transient, but spiritual, intangible blessings which money cannot buy. This is a time also to consider the real value in eternity, of all our present pursuits in life, including the lively pursuit of wealth, posterity and longevity.

During the Lunar New Year celebrations, it is customary for people to wish one another "Gong Xi Fa Cai" which means, "May your wealth increase." Fire crackers, twisted bamboo, pussy willow, and hong baos are all symbols of good fortune. Everywhere you will see the red banners or the Chinese word "Fu" placed upside down, supposedly to usher in good luck. The two or four oranges that are exchanged during visitation are supposed to bring wealth because the word for gold and orange sounds alike in Cantonese. Food with auspicious names is eaten. On the seventh day, raw lettuce and fresh fish (yu sheng) is eaten, because the word for fresh or raw also means life or grow. Eating groundnuts is also supposed to bring long life, while eating melon seeds is supposed to bring more children.

Many greeting cards depict the Fu Lu Shou, the three stars that epitomise happiness, success and longevity. This typifies the philosophy of life that dominates the life of many people today. The philosophy of attempting to pursue one’s happiness in the things of this life. But if this is all that people live for, their whole world will be shattered when they are unable to have these things, or when they lose these things. The fact is neither wealth nor posterity nor longevity can bring the real happiness or blessedness that we need in life. King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, concluded, "All is vanity and vexation of spirit" (Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:17).

Concerning wealth, Solomon wrote: "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease." (Ecclesiastes 6:1,2) What a tragic situation this verse describes: Having everything that one could wish for, and yet not being able to enjoy them. With added wealth comes added worries. More has to be spent on security against theft and kidnapping. And thus, the blessing that riches are thought to bring, turn out to be only an illusion.

In the Philippines some rich people who owned large valuable tracts of property lost everything when Mt Pinatubo erupted some years ago and buried whole towns and villages deep in tons of volcanic ash. They escaped with only a few personal belongings. Everything else was lost. The land they owned became worthless. To have worked so hard to build up a vast personal empire of riches, only to see it all gone in a short moment is such a terrible catastrophe to experience, that even king Solomon said,"it is an evil disease." (v.2)

You might think to yourself, "Well, all these people were most unfortunate to have lost their wealth, but they are only a few. But this rarely happens. There are still many rich people who are enjoying their wealth and are able to keep enjoying it." Do not be mistaken. Look again at v.1 and you will see that it says, "…it is common among men." We must therefore stop believing that wealth always brings blessings.

Another blessing that is traditionally sought after is that of having many children. "If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial…" (Ecclesiastes 6:3) Although it is commonly thought that children bring joy, it is also true that every child that is born is an added responsibility: one more mouth to feed, one more body to clothe and provide a bed for, one more mind to educate, one more soul to train and discipline!

In many third world countries, we see the sad results of large families – children who have hardly anything to eat, with no one to care for them. But raising up children in a first world country like ours is not an easy task, and one which places great stress and strain on many parents. The demands are greater because we have to prepare our children to survive in a very competitive environment.

The great burden of providing for the needs of the children is supposed to be amply compensated when they grow up and are able to take care of their aging parents. Many parents do look forward to the day when they will be well provided for by all their children. But this assumes that the children will grow up to be good, independent, responsible and caring people who will take care of their parents. Though this is generally true (Psalm 127:3-4) there is no guarantee that every child will turn out that way. Every child is born a sinner, and will remain one unless he or she comes to salvation in Christ. This sinful nature brings rebellion against the Lord and the child’s parents. Some become liabilities and not assets. Thus, a person may have a hundred children but if none of them are good and filial, the blessing of having them is only an illusion.

What should we learn from this? Just as we should not place all our hopes in prosperity and riches, we should not look to our children to provide for us the happiness or blessing we seek in life.

Another blessing that is often much sought after by people is longevity. It is considered to be a grand achievement to live up to a ripe old age, even up to a hundred! The fact is that even if a person could live forever on earth, that does not necessarily mean that he would have years of blessing and happiness. Solomon wrote "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" (Ecclesiastes 6:6) It is good to live forever, but only if it is in a body and world that has no sin. To live forever in a body and world that is still under the curse of sin is not at all a pleasant prospect.

In Psalm 90:10, Moses tells us "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." Medical science has made it possible for people to live longer and longer, but with that it now has to deal with the peculiar health problems of old age – arthritis, rheumatism, dementia, memory loss, incontinence, enlarged prostate, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, insomnia, failing eyes, ears, heart and other organs. All of these have opened up a vast new field of medicine called geriatrics.

So is longevity a blessing? Only if we are able to remain physically strong and healthy in our old age, and if there is nothing better for us after death. But for us who belong to Christ, there is something better for us after death. We can look forward to a better life after this present one (2 Corinthians 5:8). So we do not need to anxiously prolong our present life in this world as many are trying to do so desperately. Those who do not know the Lord often spend much time, effort and money to delay death as far as possible, because to them, everything that they hope for is only in this life. Therefore they want to make it last as long as possible. But while we who are in Christ enjoy the life we have on earth, we know that everything we hope for is not in this life, but beyond it. The advantage of remaining on this earth is that we can be used by God to do His will on earth as long as we are here, and to be a blessing to others.

We have already seen that wealth, children, and longevity are not always blessings. In fact they can become great burdens. So we should not live for these things. There is one more thing that we should be careful not to live for, and that is: Success.

The Chinese are well known for being industrious. Many of our forefathers came here without very much, but through ambition, hard work and shrewd conducting of business, they were able to improve their lot in life. This characteristic has been passed down through each generation, so that many today are able to enjoy a much better standard of living.

But what is the ultimate purpose of this pursuit? Where does it end? People will not remain content and satisfied for long with what they have. They will keep wanting more and more. No matter where one is, there are always higher standards of living to aim for. They will continue to strive for what the world around them defines as "success", and that success is an elusive goal to achieve. Those who have attained one academic degree will want to go for a postgraduate degree, and when he has got that, he will want to go for his doctorate. As Solomon says, "All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled." (Ecclesiastes 6:7)

In the next two verses Solomon makes some comparisons: "For what hath the wise more than the fool? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire…" In this verse, both the wise and the fool have the same insatiable appetite. Both are not satisfied with what they have, although one may have better ability to get rich than the other. In contrast to both of them, we see those who are considered poor by this world’s standards, but who have the right attitude in life: "what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?" These people may not appear to be very successful in the eyes of men, but they are contented with what they already have, and with what they can see with their eyes. Their desires do not wander away into visions of having great riches and making greater gains for themselves.

To put this all very simply: A poor person who is contented is better off than a rich man who is not contented (cf. Ecclesiastes 5:12). It is better to strive for contentment than to strive for what the world defines as "success" because the latter is a never-ending quest. We should humbly accept whatever plans God has already made for us. If we refuse to accept God’s will for our lives, and we aspire to things that are greater than what He wants for us, then we are contending against God. None can oppose God and win.

In the final two verses of Ecclesiastes 6 Solomon concludes: "Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?" The many things here refer to all that has been stated before: the pursuit of wealth, having many children, trying to live longer, and pursuing what this world calls "success." None of these things that are commonly pursued by man can provide the true blessedness that man is seeking. All they do is to increase vanity. Whatever man seeks to do in life, he cannot escape from the final outcome, which is vanity.

Here now is the dilemma: Man has no choice but to live for a time in this world, and therefore he should make good use of his life. That is the only way to have a truly blessed life. But then on the other hand, whatever he does with his life leads to vanity! He cannot escape from it. So what is he to do?

The solution to this dilemma is to be found in God. God alone knows what is good for man in this life, because He created man. And God alone can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun, because He knows, and in fact, He determines the final outcome of all things. God Himself says this in Isaiah 46:10 – "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure…"

And in the light of what God has already revealed to us in the Scriptures we can learn what is good for us to do with our lives. Micah 6:8 – "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" According to this verse, what is good, what is truly worthwhile for us to do, that will ensure a blessed life for us, and not vanity, consists of three things:

Firstly, to do justly – this implies putting away our personal sins and living according to the commandments of God. Secondly, to love mercy – this implies loving our fellow men as God has loved us and shown mercy to us. And the third thing is to walk humbly with the Lord – this implies maintaining an intimate personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.