Steven Peña

@IMPERATORAUS ….and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator [Romans 1:25]

The modern world was made for man, but man was not made for the modern world.

As I read Ecclesiastes, the Hebrew word “hevel” really stands out to me. It means vapor or breath, something you can see for a moment but that disappears when you try to grab it. It reminds me of quantum mechanics, how a wave collapses the moment you observe or reach for it. Solomon keeps saying that life under the sun is like that. You cannot stand outside of it and fully grasp it. You have to be in the moment and ride it. The more you try to control or hoard it, the faster it slips away. The only way to truly live is to walk with God in the present instead of chasing vapor. Because I have lived so much of my life in fear, I can now see how I have robbed my relationships in the present. I spent so much time living in the third person, trying to direct and control the timeline. Solomon is telling us to stay in the first person, to live fully in the moment, and to let God take care of our future.

When Scripture stays supplemental instead of transformative, we treat it like a buffet and load up on what tastes good. Or like a playlist, we hit skip on the tracks that don’t match our vibe. Eph 4:29-30 is triggering because it’s not talking about “their” speech but mine. Lord, make us people who let Your Word shape us, not just affirm us.

Very interesting to see how many people think I’m talking about *them* with this post rather than just a general principle for all who bear the name of Christ — which is a message I’m posting for me first and foremost. I mean this respectfully, and I hate to break it to the handful of communities that seem to be so triggered by Bible verses being quoted online, but you are not living rent free in my head.

“For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” [Ecclesiastes 1:18] I love gathering wisdom, facts, and hacks by scrolling. It feels productive and satisfying in the moment. But I am starting to see that this habit is not really adding purpose to my life. My true calling is relational as a husband, father, and apostle of Christ. Collecting knowledge like coins in a video game does not automatically make me more effective in those relationships. In fact, it can become its own distraction or idol. If the goal is loving God and loving people, then the wisdom I gather only has real value when it is lived out and poured into the lives of others. [Matthew 22:37-40]. Otherwise it just increases sorrow without producing fruit, just as Solomon warned in Ecclesiastes 1:18.