MEANINGLESS LIFE
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
Ecclesiastes 1:2
Its funny how upside down our world really is. Human’s priorities are really not proportional to what really matters in life. Many people just live their lives for the momentary pleasures they can have today. For that person, next year (or tomorrow for that matter) isn’t even on the radar. For the more conservative natural man, he has his attention fixed on storing up for the retirement years. He is looking forward to living the “good life” as an old man. The born again Christian has a different perspective. He knows that this life is just a momentary shadow, ready to be overwhelmed by the coming kingdom of God. He has embraced eternity, recognizing the best this world has to offer is fleeting, it will be gone in a moment and has no eternal weight or value. Here is Luther’s take on Solomon’s thoughts revealed in Ecclesiastes.
“The book of Ecclesiastes condemns, not what God has created, but rather people’s evil tendencies and desires. We aren’t satisfied with what God created and gave us to use. So we concern ourselves with accumulating more possessions and achieving more fame as if we were going to live on this earth forever. We become bored with what we currently have, then we strive for more things, and then strive for even more. Depriving ourselves of what we presently have because we’re desperately concerned about acquiring more for the future is shameful and pointless.
These twisted tendencies and human striving are what the author is condemning in this book, not the things themselves. Later, in Ecclesiastes 5:18, the author says that nothing is better for people than being happy and making their lives pleasant by eating, drinking, and finding joy in their work. The author would be contradicting himself if he condemned these same things in this passage. Instead, he’s only condemning the misuse of these things, which comes from having a wrong attitude.”
The Lord has created all of these natural pleasures we enjoy in this life. These momentary pleasures are never intended to satisfy our hungry hearts, that is reserved for God alone. When we delight in God and He becomes our pleasure, then we begin to see the earth and it’s pleasures from a whole different perspective. We have become pilgrims (today you would say aliens), just passing through this life. The touch of God upon our lives liberates us so that we are free to enjoy Him, and in turn, we are freed up to love and enjoy all of God’s gifts and provision He gives to us along life’s journey.
So does your life feel meaningless to you? No matter what you accomplish, no matter what you accumulate, there is still no peace in your soul. That was the place I found myself in in the summer of 1973. I had tried sports as my purpose, I had tried education as my pursuit in life; I still found myself shouting with Solomon, “Meaningless, meaningless”. All of that changed when Jesus stepped into my life. In that moment, I discovered what a meaningful life was all about.
4 thoughts on “MEANINGLESS LIFE”
Amen!
A life that is not God centered- that is a dry meaningless life indeed. The richness and fullness of a life spent walking with Him; there is no end to its goodness.
Sitting in the middle of a desert on a flat hard rock with Jesus is a rewarding experience.
Overdosing on drugs while trying to numb the pain- that is the hallmark of these “celebrities” who have everything the world deems desirable.
Selah.
UWOW, THANK YOU LORD, HALLELUJAH TIMES A TRILLION. WHAT AN EYE OPENER HE HAS BEEN FOR ME ALSO. I WAS JUST TALKING TO MY WIFE ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY. WE WERE COMING FROM DROPPING MY DAUGHTER SHELBY OFF TO WORK AND PASSING DOWN CLEARVIEW, STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT AT AIRLINE, I TOLD MY WIFE ISN’T IT JUST AMAZING HOW PEOPLE LOOK FOR NEW WAYS TO REMODEL A STORE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN BUILT. TEAR IT DOWN AND REBUILD IT AGAIN WITH MORE FANCY MATERIAL THINGS TO MAKE IT LOOK BETTER FILLED WITH FLASHY COMPUTERS, DRESS IT UP REALLY WELL. THE COMPETITION BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER WALGREEN VERSUS CVS, OR BURGER KING VERSUS MCDONALDS. AMAZING HOW PEOPLE’S LIFE IS STUCK ON ALL THE NEW THINGS IN THIS WORLD THAT COME UP AS BUILDINGS OR MATERIAL THINGS BUT NOT EVEN PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT THE LORD IS BUILDING AND PREPARING, OR EVEN AWARE OF WHAT HE IS DOING. I WAS ONCE LIKE THEM UNTIL THE LORD AND I WENT UNDER THE WATER IN 2002 WOW, THE WAY WE LOOK AT THINGS NOW THROUGH JESUS EYES, TOTALLY TRANSFORMATION, THANK YOU, MY KING.
WHAT A NEW LIFE IN JESUS, TAKES THIS OLD WORLD SHOWS YOU WHAT REALLY IS GOING ON ALL THE COMPUTERS, NEW MATERIAL THINGS, ALL ABOUT SHOW OFF, WHO’S BETTER THAN ONE ANOTHER, WHO HAS MORE POWER, HA IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. PRAISE YOU LORD, FOR GIVING ME EYES TO SEE AND EARS TO HEAR, HAVE YOUR WAY MY KING. BY THE WAY I WOKE UP SINGING THAT SONG TO MY KING. EYES FIXED ON HEAVEN, LET YOUR GLORY AND WAYS REIGN.
LET YOUR KINGDOM COME YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. IT’S ALL A CHASE IN THE WIND!!!!!!!! HALLELUJAH. LOVE YOU, PASTOR. AWESOME BLOG, THANK YOU HOLY SPIRIT. HAVE AN AWESOME DAY IN OUR KING.
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE HOLDING HIS HAND WALKING AND TALKING WITH HIM, PRAISING HIM AS I WALK THROUGH HIS CREATION. WALKING IN HIS LOVE AND PRESENCE. SUCH A LOVE IS HE. EVERYTHING I DO HE DOES WITH ME. HALLELUJAH. 🙂