Just weeks before he was to collect a $1.5 million inheritance, a 43-year-old Australian construction worker died when a wall fell on him. Witnesses said the backhoe operator had taken shelter from a brisk wind when a brick wall collapsed on him.

This may be the kind of untimely misfortune that caused Solomon to wonder about the futility of life (Eccl. 9:2). He knew that we face uncertainty throughout our lives (v.12), and that security seems impossible to come by. He had discovered that the desire to have things is soon replaced by the fear of losing them. So he concluded that if we are wise we will live for the moment.

Yet living only for the moment was not Solomon's ultimate resolution to his dilemma. Eventually he came to realize that there is only one solid foundation for living with uncertainty. After facing his own sins and distractions, he concluded, "Fear God and keep His commandments" (12:13). That's the only wise way to live for the moment--realizing that God will give eternal value or loss to everything we are now doing or thinking (v.14).

Life is uncertain, but God's judgment is certain. So, live for the moment--but always with eternity in view. That way you'll honor the Lord in everything you do.  — Mart De Haan