The Ultimate Purpose in Life
The Ultimate Purpose in Life
Ecclesiastes12
“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon has taken us on an exploration of life. He has confronted us with the reality that we can easily get off track by pursuing that which has no meaning or significance. We can get enamored with success, prosperity, and pleasure only to discover that we have pursued a promise that these things can never deliver. In a fallen world, these promises us happiness and meaning, but in the end, they bring only emptiness and futility. As he concludes his journey, he brings us to the end of life, offering one of the most depressing and vivid pictures of the effects of old age. But the description of the physical and mental decline of old age is given as a warning to the youth. In our youth, our focus is upon the future and the pursuit of our dreams. We focus on getting married, building our careers, and having a family. Life is busy and demanding, and as a result, God often gets pushed aside. Going to church to grow in our faith is sidelined as the demands of life crowd out the importance of developing our relationship with God and our service for Him. Solomon thus closes his book with a warning for the young, “Remember also your creator in the days of your youth” (vs 1). For the young, life seems like an endless road ahead. However, in reality, it is a short journey, and if we are not intentional, we can easily become distracted from what is really important. In a moment, you find yourself at the end of life with the stark realization that much of what we pursued in life was temporal and transitory. So how do we avoid the snare of pursuing the insignificant? By keeping a firm eye on the end and recognizing that life is not about achieving success, but about seeking God and living in obedience to him. Wisdom comes from listening to the wise who stand at the end of life and share what really matters.
The greatest tragedy of all is not failure, but succeeding in what is insignificant for eternity. Therefore, we must always keep our eye upon eternity and upon our striving to live in obedience to God, for that is the only thing we accomplish that will have eternal value. What matters most in life is not the opinion of others and their praise, but the evaluation of God when we stand before Him. A life well lived is one that pursues God’s agenda and purpose. It is striving for Him. When we face the reality of death, we confront not just the brevity of life, but also the significance of life. In the face of death, all the things of this world and all the accomplishments the world praises have no value. There is nothing that we take with us, and the next generation soon forgets all our accomplishments. What has eternal value is our relationship with God and our service for Him. Have we walked in obedience to His word, and have we had an eternal impact on the lives of people by pointing them to the salvation Christ offers?
Solomon took us on the journey of exploration, not as a pessimist who sees only the bad in life, but to teach us that the things deemed essential to the world are ultimately of no value. The only thing that has eternal value is our relationship with God, which must be our highest priority and aim (vs 13). What are you pursuing in your life today? Are you pursuing what only has temporal value or what has eternal value? This is the question Solomon confronts us with.
Ecclesiastes12
“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon has taken us on an exploration of life. He has confronted us with the reality that we can easily get off track by pursuing that which has no meaning or significance. We can get enamored with success, prosperity, and pleasure only to discover that we have pursued a promise that these things can never deliver. In a fallen world, these promises us happiness and meaning, but in the end, they bring only emptiness and futility. As he concludes his journey, he brings us to the end of life, offering one of the most depressing and vivid pictures of the effects of old age. But the description of the physical and mental decline of old age is given as a warning to the youth. In our youth, our focus is upon the future and the pursuit of our dreams. We focus on getting married, building our careers, and having a family. Life is busy and demanding, and as a result, God often gets pushed aside. Going to church to grow in our faith is sidelined as the demands of life crowd out the importance of developing our relationship with God and our service for Him. Solomon thus closes his book with a warning for the young, “Remember also your creator in the days of your youth” (vs 1). For the young, life seems like an endless road ahead. However, in reality, it is a short journey, and if we are not intentional, we can easily become distracted from what is really important. In a moment, you find yourself at the end of life with the stark realization that much of what we pursued in life was temporal and transitory. So how do we avoid the snare of pursuing the insignificant? By keeping a firm eye on the end and recognizing that life is not about achieving success, but about seeking God and living in obedience to him. Wisdom comes from listening to the wise who stand at the end of life and share what really matters.
The greatest tragedy of all is not failure, but succeeding in what is insignificant for eternity. Therefore, we must always keep our eye upon eternity and upon our striving to live in obedience to God, for that is the only thing we accomplish that will have eternal value. What matters most in life is not the opinion of others and their praise, but the evaluation of God when we stand before Him. A life well lived is one that pursues God’s agenda and purpose. It is striving for Him. When we face the reality of death, we confront not just the brevity of life, but also the significance of life. In the face of death, all the things of this world and all the accomplishments the world praises have no value. There is nothing that we take with us, and the next generation soon forgets all our accomplishments. What has eternal value is our relationship with God and our service for Him. Have we walked in obedience to His word, and have we had an eternal impact on the lives of people by pointing them to the salvation Christ offers?
Solomon took us on the journey of exploration, not as a pessimist who sees only the bad in life, but to teach us that the things deemed essential to the world are ultimately of no value. The only thing that has eternal value is our relationship with God, which must be our highest priority and aim (vs 13). What are you pursuing in your life today? Are you pursuing what only has temporal value or what has eternal value? This is the question Solomon confronts us with.
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