If you've been reading along in Ecclesiastes with me these last several weeks, or even simply have seen the titles of my posts, you likely are aware that Ecclesiastes is a somewhat depressing book of the Bible. Or at least most of it is. Solomon throughout much of the book seems to have hit a patch in his life that I'm sure all of us have hit at one point or another. We ask ourselves the impossible questions of "where is my life going" or "what am I doing on this earth, what is the meaning of my life?". I think as humans we also try to find meaning in our lives through things like sports, or a clothing style. We often even go as far as to label whatever plan or place we have in our lives as "God's calling". "You know, I really think God is calling me to this six figure job, and I'm pretty sure he wants me to buy direct TV because he wanted me to buy that flat screen and watch football instead of going to church". Thats a little bit silly, but how often do we justify our desires by playing the "God Card"? As Solomon concludes his writings however, he answers his initial question of life's meaning with a very simple answer. In verse 13 he writes: Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. So there you have it, what I am convinced the meaning of life is. We were placed on this earth to worship God.
As Christians, we can find meaning in our lives, even fulfill God's will for our lives by obeying him. What are his commands? Well, we are to love God, so basically that means to worship him with how we live our lives. We are also called to love each other. If your life was lived in a way that followed those two commands at all times, what would need to change? Is the way you use your time worshiping God? Is the way you use your possessions worshiping God? How do you interact with others? Do you love people that are similar to you but not associate with others? How do you interact with those who don't like you, or who you don't like? In love or hate?
I'll close simply by talking about a time, probably about a month ago, when I questioned like Solomon, what the meaning of life is. It really hit me thinking about the future how fast life moves. As I fast-forwarded from the present, to my return home, to finishing school etc.. I was suddenly a senior citizen. I literally played through my life in like 30 seconds (a hypothetical, pretty much outline that is). It made me think, why does life matter? After a little thought, I realized that nothing I do in this life really matters all that much, but I knew that I was placed here by God, I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of mankind, and I knew that sharing that and making disciples of the nations was what I was supposed to do. My purpose is simply to obey God, to follow Christ, to grow deeper and deeper in love with Jesus, and to share that love and good news with others.
I guess to end this time in Ecclesiastes, I would challenge you to think about where your life is headed. What is your purpose, your end goal? Is it a job or a relationship that will someday fade away, or is it in eternal things?
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