King Solomon was an amazing man for many reasons.  He was able to achieve incredible wealth and success.  He built houses, vineyards, gardens, and parks.  He surpassed all who had come before him. From the outside, it looked like he had it all!  What did he have to say about it?

When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.
– Ecclesiastes 2:11

Does this sound like someone who “had it all” like Solomon?  What do you think were his reasons for feeling this way?  Fortunately, he gives us more information a couple of verses later.

I hated all my work at which I labored under the sun because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
– Ecclesiastes 2:18-19

The Problem

Solomon realized that his work would not last beyond this life.  As soon as he was gone, someone else would get it and do whatever they wanted with it.  He saw extreme emptiness in his work after he had accomplished it.

I think a key thought to consider here is that these thoughts of Solomon’s came later in his life, AFTER he had accomplished so much.  You see, while the accomplishing is getting done, the emptiness is hidden.  Everything looks so important and so urgent that we most often fail to see that it is, in fact, futile.

The Solution

What if you could reverse this principle?  Consider the idea of completely turning your business over to God and allowing Him to direct how it is built.  What if you began approaching your business as a tool in God’s hand to be used to impact others (employees, customers, community) for eternity?

Forget, for a moment, trying to imagine exactly what the business would look like. Instead, imagine what your thoughts would be at the end.

The “Stats”

Rather than counting the number of business branches or locations, employees, or zero’s in your bank account balance, imagine you are able to count the number of people who chose to accept Jesus due, in part, to the influence of your business.  Imagine counting the number of children fed or clothed as a result of the efforts of your employees.  Imagine counting the number of people you influenced through the business that went on to teach others that did the same thing (and on and on…)!

Where is the futility or emptiness in this?  I cannot imagine either being present – and I cannot wait to get to this point!

What about you?  What are you building?

What will the “stats” feel like when the counting is being done?

Regardless of what you have built in the past, will you change the future?