1. Been there, done that, seen it: Free to enjoy what is new to me

Ecclesiastes 1:9: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

If you have ever bought a secondhand (or preloved as they tend to be called) car, it is a fantastic feeling. However, the reality is that it is new to you as the owner, but it is not a new car. When we get new things or reach milestones, it might feel like the world does not celebrate our victories enough, especially in this world of bragging on social media. But Solomon says there is no new thing under the sun, so although things are wonderful to us and we should give thanks and glory to God, this does not make them novel to the rest of the world.

2. YOLO (YOU LIVE ONLY ONCE): Free to consume

Ecclesiastes 2:10: “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.”

“Noble in youth, noble in manhood, the beloved of his God, Solomon entered on a reign that gave high promise of prosperity and honor. . . . But the pride of prosperity brought separation from God. From the joy of divine communion Solomon turned to find satisfaction in the pleasures of sense.”—Education, p. 152.

We live in a hedonistic world that reminds us that you only live once. If we are saved, we will live eternally—and this is determined by our choices on earth; those choices in turn affect our relationship with God.

3. Tick, tock: Free to enjoy my time

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

Time is strange, we have it and can choose how to spend it, but circumstances, responsibilities, and eventually death limit our freedom in it. While we have the freedom of time, let us season it with good decisions that reflect that we are working out our salvation with fear and trembling.

4. Love loves love: Free to love

Ecclesiastes 4:9,10: “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”

As humans, we want to be loved. This need for love accompanies us our whole lives and forms part of healthy human relationships. What we often miss is that we also have a responsibility to love others and make them comfortable enough so they see that we love them.

In the above verse, we are reminded of the benefits of companionship. We can lift each other up when we fall. Such benefits represent a relationship whereby one can see that the other has fallen and also exercise selflessness in helping the fallen one rise. Sometimes we want people to sympathize with us, but we shut our eyes to them in their time of need.

5. Broken promises: Free to not commit

Ecclesiastes 5:2 (first part), 5: “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God. . . . Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.”

Remember how the Israelites promised to God to obey everything He said. Not long after, they were backsliding. When we look at them, we tend to forget that we do the same. We continuously break our promises to our Promise Keeper and without hesitation we find new promises to break. When we ponder on how much we offend the Lord, it should dawn on us just how deeply unfathomable is His love for us. The Israelites were “amateurs” compared to the things we do and how we rationalize our individual backsliding.

6. Our daily bread: Free to be satisfied

Ecclesiastes 6:7: “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.”

How many times have we strived to reach a goal but are dissatisfied when we reach it? Often we are not content, so even when we reach personal milestones, we harbor a spirit of disgruntlement instead of contentment. This attitude then robs us of our joy and our freedom to enjoy the fruits of our labor as God designed. A miserable outlook on life can dull even the grandest achievements.

7. Know God, know life.No God, no life: Free to seek the Lord

Ecclesiastes 7:29: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”

“God made man upright. . . . Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of eternal happiness. On this condition he was to have access to the tree of life.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 49.

Despite God’s lofty ideals for us, we have opted out and sought out our own substitutes that will never compare to what He has planned for us on earth and in heaven. God is ours and we are His. In all that He created, we are the only ones that have a plan of salvation crafted so we can be reunited with Him as per His original design.

8. Earnings: Free to enjoy myincome and labor.

Ecclesiastes 8:15 “Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.”

God has designed us to work and enjoy the fruits of our labor. When Adam was punished for his disobedience in the garden of Eden, his labor was to become more wearisome than God had originally intended. Despite the increased burden, God still saw it fit that our labor would not be in vain and we could enjoy the fruits thereof. Because it can get tiresome and because it was part of Adam’s punishment, when we as humans work, it might feel as if it is a restriction to our liberties because we work our whole lives. But all is not lost—God does not want us only to work, He wants us to enjoy the output of our work. What a glorious feeling it is to know that the God who helped you sow, is the God who is pleased when you reap.

9. Opportunity cost: Freedom to care and share

Ecclesiastes 9:11 “I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

Why share when you are the one working hard? But are you really working hard though? If you say you are working (or even if you are not), be thankful for the opportunity to work and that the outcome is money that can be spent. Since time and chance happen to all (Ecclesiastes 9:11), these riches, that cannot be taken to heaven, (we will be walking on streets of gold so there is no need), provide absolutely no guarantee that they will be yours for your lifetime. We may think we have made certain life choices that entitle us to discredit or alienate those that made less glorified choices, and thus we assume they deserve the poverty that comes with those choices. The Bible says the righteous will not be forsaken nor their children beg for bread. Have we ever considered that God is telling us that it is through our prosperity that the righteous need not beg?

“Our heavenly Father lays blessings disguised in our pathway, but some will not touch these for fear they will detract from their enjoyment. Angels are waiting to see if we embrace opportunities within our reach of doing good—waiting to see if we will bless others, that they in turn may bless us.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 28.

10. Restrain for gain: Free to exercise temperance

Ecclesiastes 10:17: “Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!”

Paul describes us as God’s royal people. Those of royalty have both constraints and liberties not experienced by an ordinary person. In our royal walk with the Lord, do we not focus more on how our liberties can serve us than how they are an opportunity for us to show our discipline and commitments?

“The observance of temperance and regularity in all things has a wonderful power. It will do more than circumstances or natural endowments in promoting that sweetness and serenity of disposition which count so much in smoothing life’s pathway. At the same time the power of self-control thus acquired will be found one of the most valuable of equipments for grappling successfully with the stern duties and realities that await every human being.”—Education, p. 206.

11. Cast thyself: Free to sacrifice

Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”

The Hebrew economy in the Bible was based on the system of sacrifice and systematic benevolence. God had promised Jacob he would not be lacking; he and his generations were not in a vacuum. There was still an expectation that the Israelites would comply with the laws of God that governed their lives. This might seem like a plug-and-play prosperity gospel message because as long as you are (at least outwardly) keeping God’s law, financial prosperity is a sure outcome. Yet Christ says the poor will always be with us and deacons were ordained for the needy in the early Christian church. Therefore, despite God’s legitimate expectation for us to comply with His law, throughout the ages there are examples that the faithful were not always rich. Even Christ, our Saviour, Himself was not wealthy in terms of money; He had nowhere to lay His head. Considering this prevailing poverty, what then should those of us that are doing better than others financially do? We are free to enjoy our income if we have remitted our tithe and are faithful in offerings. Yes, we are free to enjoy but more importantly we are free to share with others because we are investing in riches that have a far better return than any annuity; we are investing in a heaven which, when we reach it, we will consider cheap enough.

12. Rest and reset: Free to rest

Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

God gave work. God gave rest. God created time. He gave us freedom to balance work and rest within the time provided. What liberties do we have regarding this? We have the freedom of the Sabbath. Think how much strife and worldly problems that God spares us in giving us the chance to keep the Sabbath. For one day a week we are free from school, “kind regards emails,” traffic, cooking, and so much more. But despite that Sabbath freedom and all its social, spiritual, fellowship and many other benefits, we often choose to burden the Sabbath with our burdens. The Sabbath is a day in which even God rested, so how much more do we need that sanctified rest! Let proper Sabbathkeeping be an honorable endeavor for us instead of the weekly surprise which we treat it as. We are free to prepare and keep the Sabbath, so let’s enjoy doing so!