Remember Your Creator

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.” — Ecclesiastes 12:1

The wise teacher who wrote Ecclesiastes thought very hard about what really matters in life. He had tried all sorts of things to make himself happy. He built great houses and planted vineyards and gardens. He had lots of money, lots of servants, and lots of music and fun. He became very wise and very famous.

But in the end, he said, all of it was like trying to catch the wind. None of it could make him truly happy, and none of it lasted. People grow old, and their riches and their buildings and their fame all fade away.

So what does matter? At the very end of his book, the teacher had some advice. And it was especially for young people.

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,” he wrote, “before the days of trouble come, and the years come when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’”

The teacher was saying: don’t wait until you’re old to think about God. Remember Him now, while you are young! Get to know Him, love Him, and follow Him now, while you have your whole life ahead of you.

Why is that so important? Because the habits we form when we’re young often last our whole lives. And because every day of our lives is a gift from God, our Creator, who made us and loves us. Why would we want to waste any of them?

Then, at the very end of the book, the teacher summed up everything he had learned:

“When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.”

After all his thinking, and all his searching, and all his trying, this was what the wise teacher decided really mattered most: love God, respect Him, and do what He says.

That’s a good way to end this book of songs and wise words. And it’s a good way to start every day.

You are young now. This is the best time to remember your Creator. To get to know Him. To sing His songs. To learn His wise words. And to follow Him, all the days of your life.

Read it in your Bible: Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13–14; 2:4–11

Dear God, my Creator, I want to remember you while I’m young. Thank you that you made me and love me. Help me to love you, respect you, and follow you all the days of my life. Amen.