Clockwise | Part 2 | Joel Thomas

May 11, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Chasing Wind in Full Color

Solomon built gardens, reservoirs, and palaces. He stockpiled gold, entertained crowds, and indulged every craving. Yet his hands stayed empty—no lasting joy, no anchored purpose. “Everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind,” he wrote. The wisest man on earth found no return on his hustle. [30:12]

Solomon’s experiment proves: life “under the sun” drains like a battery. Achievements rust. Pleasure fades. Distractions multiply. But his despair points us higher—to the God who designed us for more than horizontal striving.

You’ve felt this drain. That promotion didn’t satisfy. The vacation high evaporated. Today, name one pursuit you’ve treated as a “meaning-maker.” Is it holding your attention hostage?

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure… Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done… everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
(Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal what you’ve been clutching tighter than His hand.
Challenge: List three pursuits/possessions you’ve relied on for fulfillment. Circle one to release in prayer.

Day 2: Backpacks of Unseen Stones

Solomon’s past victories turned to ash. His father David’s conquests funded his excess, yet legacy anxiety haunted him: “Who knows if my heir will be wise or foolish?” Unresolved history weighs like stones in a pack—childhood wounds, betrayal scars, regrets that whisper “not enough.” [46:22]

God heals what we excavate. Buried pain distorts today’s reality, making presence impossible. Like Solomon’s empty palaces, unhealed pasts become monuments to loss rather than altars of redemption.

What stone have you carried too long? Write one sentence naming a hurt that still shadows your reactions. Who could you tell this week to begin lifting its weight?

“So I hated life… For the person who labors, labors to feed himself with his mouthfuls of wind.”
(Ecclesiastes 2:17-20, HCSB)

Prayer: Confess one past hurt you’ve let define you. Ask for refining, not just relief.
Challenge: Text a trusted friend: “I need to share something I’ve been carrying.” Set a time.

Day 3: Tomorrow’s Worry, Today’s Thief

Solomon’s heirs wasted his wealth. Future unknowns gutted his peace: “Their days… are filled with grief; even at night, minds don’t rest.” Anxiety exports us—we live phantom tomorrows while real todays slip by. Jesus said, “Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.” [50:15]

Worry is imagination weaponized. It fixates on “what ifs” we can’t control, ignoring the “what is” God appointed. Solomon’s reservoirs couldn’t store enough for droughts ahead. But manna comes daily.

What “what if” loop plays in your mind? Write it. Cross out the parts you can’t control. Underline one action step within your reach.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
(Matthew 6:34, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for one specific provision He’s already given today.
Challenge: Set a 3:00 PM phone alarm labeled “Manna Moment”—pause to name three present blessings.

Day 4: Scrolling Past Sacred Ground

Solomon’s concubines and singers couldn’t fill his soul. Distractions numbed but didn’t nourish. Like phones with 100 apps open, divided attention drains joy. Presence requires closing tabs—the unresolved argument, the unchecked email, the comparison trap. [57:18]

Jesus noticed Zacchaeus in the tree, the widow’s coins, the woman’s trembling touch. He modeled radical presence. Every “look, Mom!” moment matters. What holy ground have you scrolled past this week?

When did you last sit without screens? Name one relationship that needs your undivided eyes today.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart… no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to interrupt your autopilot with one “sacred pause” today.
Challenge: Spend 60 tech-free minutes outside. Notice three details you’d normally miss.

Day 5: Broiled Fish in the Now

Jesus ate broiled fish with resurrected scars (Luke 24:42-43). He anchored disciples in the tangible now—touching wounds, breaking bread. Solomon’s conclusion mirrors this: “There’s nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and find satisfaction in work.” Not escapism—engagement. [37:03]

God’s gifts are daily and digestible. Manna rots when hoarded. Today’s laughter, today’s labor, today’s sunset—these are the appointed moments where eternity bleeds through.

What’s one ordinary moment today where you’ll choose to taste and see? Who will you tell about it?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
(John 10:10, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for one specific “ordinary” gift you’ll receive today.
Challenge: Share a meal with someone. Halfway through, say, “This moment matters. Thank you for being here.”

Sermon Summary

We enter Ecclesiastes with a raw honesty about meaning. Solomon ran the experiment many of us only imagine. He chased pleasure, built pleasures and treasures, poured himself into work, hired entertainment, and denied himself nothing, only to call it meaningless when measured under the sun. That stark verdict forced a wider question, because God has embedded eternity in the heart and the human sense that life should mean more than distraction and accumulation. The turning point came when Solomon saw a different frame: there is a season and an appointed time for everything under the heavens. Meaning waits in the appointed now, not in the next acquisition or the next escape.

We learn that presence forms the soil where meaning grows. The present is the only real time, and attention determines our direction. Divided attention erodes the life available to us, just as running too many apps slows a phone and drains its battery. Three thieves steal the present. Unresolved past hurts trap memory and distort time until healed. Anxious projections into an uncertain future misuse imagination and borrow tomorrow’s burdens. Present discontentments and the habit of distraction pull us apart and keep us skimming life instead of living it.

The remedy centers on attending to what God has placed in our hands right now. Simple pleasures, faithful work, relationships, and honest presence are not shallow substitutes but gifts from God meant to be enjoyed. Practical steps include naming what steals our attention, deciding what we can change, and taking action on the rest while trusting God with what we cannot control. Jesus promises a rich and satisfying life that full attention, not full schedules, reveals. If we refuse to let past wounds, future fears, or present distractions hijack our souls, we can experience the fullness God intends in the season he has appointed.

Key Takeaways

1. Meaning exists in the present moment We find meaning not by escaping the now but by inhabiting it. The present holds the only real opportunities for joy, work, and relationship, because the past is gone and the future is not yet here. Attending to the ordinary pleasures and tasks God gives now honors God’s appointed season and resists the lie that meaning hides in the next thing. [36:17]
2. Unresolved past wounds steal present life Trauma and unresolved grief keep the brain replaying old scenes so the present feels unsafe or incomplete. When past hurts define us they freeze growth and steal attention that could engage today. Healing and confession allow the past to refine instead of define, freeing attention to receive life now. [47:24]
3. Worry is imagination misused and wasted Imagination lets humans shape new possibilities, but worry weaponizes that gift by rehearsing unlikely disasters. Listing worries, striking out what we cannot control, and acting on what we can turns imagination from theft into stewardship. That discipline returns attention to present responsibilities and trusts God with the rest. [50:47]
4. Distractions pull our attention apart Distraction literally means to be pulled in pieces, and the present contains subtle discontents that draw us toward doing instead of being. When attention splits, relationships grow thin, work loses depth, and sacred moments pass unnoticed. Naming the pull and choosing presence reclaims the life Jesus intends. [53:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[18:35] - Clockwise series and Ecclesiastes
[21:00] - From meaningless to seasons
[23:06] - Phone experiment on attention
[26:39] - Solomon’s pleasure experiment
[30:24] - The emptiness of possessions
[36:17] - The present is the only time
[38:07] - Attention shapes our direction
[43:31] - Three thieves of presence
[57:50] - Response, action, and prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."

John 10:10 (ESV)
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Observation questions

What three categories of "thieves" steal our ability to live fully in the present moment, according to the sermon? [43:31]
How does Solomon describe his pursuit of pleasure, possessions, and work in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11? What conclusion does he reach?
What practical analogy about phone apps was used to explain how divided attention affects our lives? [23:06]
How does Jesus contrast His purpose with the thief’s purpose in John 10:10?

Interpretation questions

Why might unresolved past wounds make it difficult to fully engage with the present? How does trauma distort our experience of time? [47:24]
Solomon calls his pursuits "meaningless" even though they brought temporary happiness. What does this reveal about the difference between fleeting pleasure and lasting purpose?
How does worry misuse the gift of imagination, and what practical steps can redirect it toward stewardship instead of fear? [50:47]
The sermon claims "a full life does not equal fullness of life." How does Jesus’ promise of "abundant life" redefine success or satisfaction?

Application questions

Identify one unresolved hurt or regret from your past that still pulls your attention backward. What small step could you take this week to begin healing or releasing it? [46:22]
When has worry about the future recently caused you to miss a meaningful moment in the present? How could you practice listing your worries, crossing out what you can’t control, and acting on what you can? [50:47]
What subtle discontentment or distraction (e.g., phone habits, overwork, escapism) most often "pulls you apart" in daily life? How might setting one intentional boundary with that distraction create space for presence? [53:12]
Jesus said He came to give "abundant life," not just a busy life. What ordinary gift in your current season (a relationship, task, or simple pleasure) have you overlooked that could be celebrated as sacred?
How could you practice "attentiveness" in a key relationship this week (e.g., putting devices away during meals, asking deeper questions, or noticing someone’s unspoken needs)? [42:14]

Sermon Clips

36s

#PresenceOverExperiences

“``A life full of experiences but lacking full attention will always feel empty. You can have all the experiences, all the things in the world. If you're not fully present and it doesn't get your full attention, it will always feel empty. Life is found in being fully present in this moment, in this season. If you're wondering what to do with your time, God has you in a season. He's appointed a time for you. What's distracting you from the moments that God's placed right in front of you that he wants you to find pleasure in and he wants you to find meaning in?”

45s

#FullLifeVsFullness

“The truth is is so many people have a full life. You have lots of things going on. You have lots of no shortage of things to fill up your time with, but a full life does not equal fullness of life. Jesus didn't come that you would fill up your life with a whole bunch of stuff. In some cases, a whole bunch of stuff you didn't even realize was filling up your life. These things that often sit in the shadows, they sit behind the scenes that are taking up our attention, taking up our focus. They're keeping us from being present in the moment. Meaning isn't about adding more to your life. Solomon was proof of that.”

47s

#ImaginationCreatesAndWorries

“Did you know that Homo sapiens or Homo sapiens are the only species in the world who have the ability for imagination? And and imagination's wonderful. Like, you have the ability to imagine things that aren't currently. This is the this is how invention starts. You imagine something that that doesn't exist, and then you work. We work together to bring it into existence. It's extraordinary. But we do the same things with the things that we worry about. And we get this is the shadow side of imagination by the way. What happens is is we get fixated on things that haven't yet happened and maybe things that may never happen.”

37s

#EnoughRightNow

“And beneath all of that, there's a belief. And the belief that drives that, if we're honest, and you may not say it out loud, and you may not raise your hand if I ask you to, but the belief that's behind that is where I am right now is not enough. Where I am in life, what I'm experiencing, what I'm going through, how I feel about my life is not enough. And the meaning Solomon couldn't find wasn't missing from life. It was waiting for him in the moment he was trying to get out of.”

35s

#OnlyTimeIsNow

“It was waiting for him. It was right in front of him because the reality is the only real time is now. Some of you have heard this before. There there is no time in the future. There is no time in the past. The only time is right now because everything else is either gone or it's not here yet. So the only real time is is this moment. And and the problem is not that life is meaningless. That's not actually the problem. The problem is we're often absent from the only place meaning exists, and that's the present.”

42s

#PresenceRequiresAttention

“And I'm not here to lecture you about gratitude, but this is a moment where the the wisest man who ever lived, who tried to chase and experience everything in the life in life and experienced it to a maximum degree. And he's like, and all the while as I chased that, I missed what was right in front of me. True life can only be experienced in the present. And experiencing the present requires your presence. If you're not fully present, if your presence isn't felt, you miss the moment. Being fully present requires your full attention.”

39s

#PleasureIsTemporary

“Solomon says, I began with the pursuit of pleasure and discovered it's only an escape. It doesn't last. It's fleeting. I pursue those things and they wear off or they go away and it's not sustainable. And so then I escape into other things, into other vices and habits that'll keep me from the the sort of the the downturn or the fall off from the things that I thought were gonna make me happy. I discovered it only provides these this pursuit of pleasure. It only only provides a temporary artificial happiness, which, by the way, most people in life are settling for.”

34s

#HealPastToBePresent

“Those things in your past you carry, especially trauma. If you experience trauma in your past, and here's what happens. The past, our unresolved past, it paralyzes. It it paralyzes us. And we get paralyzed by the things that are that are in our past, and it keeps you from being present in this current moment. This is why it's vital to identify and heal past injuries because it's impossible to be fully present when part of you is stuck in the past. This is where we get the term arrested development.”

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