He had it all—except for happiness. He experimented with every form of materialism: wine, foolishness, mansions, vineyards, gardens, parks, fruit trees, servants, piles of silver and gold, singers, 1,000 women.

None of it satisfied.

This man, King Solomon, wrote about his pleasure experiment in the book of Ecclesiastes. He reflected on a life of wasted time and missed opportunities. As an old man, he looked back on his youth with a plethora of regrets.

Solomon’s biblical account is an urgent warning to young people about time management.

Looking back on a long life, Solomon observed: “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:11, Revised Standard Version). Solomon’s life was empty. He wasted his youth. His life blew by like the wind, and he couldn’t hold on to anything!

“You know, I used to think that Solomon surely must be wrong about one thing,” Herbert W. Armstrong said on The World Tomorrow. “He might have been the wisest man that ever lived, but I couldn’t believe he was right when he said, ‘all is vanity,’ but I assure you it is. I used to think, well, that a lot of people have greed. Surely, but why do you have greed? That’s just vanity. It’s just love of self and wanting everything for self. That’s greed, and it’s vanity, it springs from vanity. Vanity is the very root; it’s the very substance of human nature, of the carnal mind and the carnal nature.

“Well, so you see my friends, these material objectives and the things that most people set their hearts and their minds on are not going to lead to success. Things that leave you empty in the end, things that leave you dissatisfied and discontented, certainly are not leading you to success” (“Rules of Success—Part 2,” 1980).

The end result of Solomon’s pleasure experiment was devastating: “Therefore I hated life …” (Ecclesiastes 2:17, emphasis mine).

“I was taught this lesson by Herbert W. Armstrong when I was a young man and I was able to learn from Solomon’s mistakes,” Gerald Flurry said on The Key of David. “But I’ll tell you, I had to really work to tear that self-will out of my life so that I could put the right goal there to change things. There were trials and tests, and there always are. God has to teach us to set the right goals and to work to achieve them” (“Why Solomon Hated Life,” April 29, 2020).

There you have it: wisdom from both end-time apostles (Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Flurry) verifying Solomon’s testimony!

“Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished” (Ecclesiastes 4:13). Solomon says to young people, You don’t want to become like me! He didn’t listen to God. He would not take admonition or correction until it was almost too late.

Be humble and teachable. Let God teach you from the Bible, the source of all wisdom. Listen when your parents and ministers admonish you. Realize that when Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Flurry, hundreds of converted adults plus the wisest man who ever lived are pleading with you to choose God’s way of life, they are probably right!

At the end of his life, Solomon saw that real friendship is more valuable than vast sums of wealth. “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. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (verses 9-12).

How many real friends do you suppose Solomon actually had? Surely, many fake friends came out of the woodwork like termites to attend his parties and syphon all the wealth they could from him. They liked him only for the stuff he could give them. When Solomon grew old and turned his attention to God, these frauds disappeared from his life.

The “threefold cord” in verse 12 could symbolize you, your friend, and God. Friendships in God’s Church are strengthened by God! You need friends in the Church to stay encouraged and continue living God’s way.

Invest your time in building real friendships. Any adult in God’s Church will tell you how friendships within the Church are far more fulfilling than friendships in the world.

“Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). Young people possess the precious resources of energy and time in abundance. Rejoice at these overflowing blessings.

Use your energy and time to live life to the fullest. Experience good fun with no side effects—fun that is still fun tomorrow. Engage the five senses—appropriately, and in moderation. Remember that God is watching and judging you.

“Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity” (verse 10). Your youth should be a pivotal period of happiness and overcoming. Seek help with problems or addictions from your parents and your minister. Get a head start in life.

Most importantly, use your youth to build the rock-solid habit of always putting God first. “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Put God first by mastering the basics, mainly prayer and Bible study. Learn how to pray by studying the free Philadelphia Church of God book How to Pray. Absolutely no one is stopping you from developing a life-changing prayer habit that you will look forward to strengthening every day of your life.

Build a personal library that includes every pcg book and booklet title. Make sure you study them all, then study them again every 1-3 years.

Every human has 24 hours in a day. But as a young person, you have more energy to do more with that time than the rest of us can. Seize that opportunity, and become a spiritual giant.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (verses 13-14). Your entire purpose in life is to fear and obey God! Don’t wait until old age like Solomon did to figure this out.

In “Spend Your Time Wisely,” Stephen Flurry wrote at theTrumpet.com: “The entire book of Ecclesiastes was recorded to teach us not to waste our time on material pleasures, and to teach us that the purpose for our physical existence—which is nothing more than a short span of time—is to build godly character.”