Life From God's Perspective

We are often destitute of the things that life demands,
We want of food and want of shelter, thirsty hills and barren lands;
We are trusting in the Lord, and according to God's Word,
We will understand it better by and by.

Charles Tindley

Read

Today let's look at Ecclesiastes 4:1-6. This "under the sun" section is divided into 2 paragraphs, and they don't seem to have much in common. Read it a second, or even a third time, thinking about what in the world they have to do with each other.

Think

Solomon takes us to more evil under the sun. More things to confuse us, to make us wonder about whether or not God knows what He's doing, if He even exists. First, we have oppression. Powerful people oppress the weak and poor. It's a fact of life. Second, the workplace is full of both over-competitive and lazy people. The bosses relentlessly fight their way to the top, and the lazy people do just enough to live.

But then there are those people who live above it all.

In the midst of oppression, though it seems it would be better to never have been born, there are always those people who seem to be unaffected and unwavering in the face of their oppressors. In the workplace, there are those who don't seem to be concerned with getting ahead, yet they are productive, not just getting by.

The common thread?

If our mindset is under the sun, we will never be able to reconcile the oppression of the poor with the idea of a good and just God. If our mindset is under the sun, we will either be consumed with getting ahead at work, or we will do just enough to get by. Living life in God's perspective, though, allows us to know that oppression happens, but God is the ultimate judge. Living life in God's perspective allows us to realize that there are more important things in life than that next promotion or raise, and at the same time gives us purpose and meaning in our work.

Help us indeed to be content, Lord, in the pleasant valley between too much and too little; between slavery and sloth; between overcompeting and underperforming. There, in that valley where heaven meets earth, we can walk with our hand in Yours rather than grasping at the wind.

David Jeremiah, Searching for Heaven on Earth

How to Live Your Life Without Losing Your Mind

Some saints can't enjoy a meal because the world is starving. They can't joyfully thank God for their clothing and shelter because the world is naked and homeless. They're afraid to enjoy an evening at home with their families because they feel like they ought to be out saving souls...They know nothing of balance and they're miserable because of it...They think the gospel is good news until you obey it. And then it becomes an endless guilt trip.

Jim McGuiggan

Read

Take a look at Ecclesiastes 3:12-15. Think of each verse in light of the first 11 verses of the chapter.

Think

In light of the futility of the earth's cycles and the apparent meaninglessness of life, there has to be a way that we can live our lives and not lose our minds. After all, if we are just a bundle of DNA, then the only thing that gives us meaning and purpose in this life is the Darwinist domination over other species and the exertion of our right to survive as the fittest of our own species. But we have it written deep down on our hearts that there is something more, and as C.S. Lewis put it, "Creatures are not born with desires unless a fulfillment of those desires exists." And in these 4 verses, Solomon gives us a framework of acting in light of those desires, so that we can break the endless cycle of living under the sun.

Enjoy Life, vs. 12- God has given us so much that we can enjoy, let's stop working so hard and live a little. Let's stop filling up our schedules with an endless series of meaningless busy-ness, and take the time to enjoy what God has given to us.

Be Thankful, vs. 13- Don't forget that all the things that we enjoy about life are gifts from God. And the enjoyment of these things is not complete without the verbal expression of how much we enjoy them. God gives us so much, and we return the gift to Him in thankfulness. And thankfulness keeps us from insanity.

Fear God, vss.14-15- A healthy reverence for the One too magnificent for words, the One who is outside the world, yet chooses to work within it, is the third key to breaking the cycle of monotony that so defines our world under the sun. When we recognize Him as Almighty Creator, and then approach Him as such, we are more able to see beyond the cycle of life to its meaning and purpose.

We fear the thunderous power of a love so relentless it could send One's own Son to die. We fear the utter blackness of God turning away, as endured by Christ on Calvary. We stand before the cross and realize we can add nothing. We can take nothing away. The act is perfect and forever, and our fear turns to abounding love and devotion.

David Jeremiah, Searching for Heaven on Earth

Pray

Ask God to reveal to you just how you can more fully enjoy your life and view it in light of His mercy to you. Commit to Him to find the time to really experience some of the great things He's given to us to enjoy.

Do

Evaluate your calendar. Is it jam-packed with busy-ness, or do you find time to enjoy life? Do you make it a point to be thankful for the good gifts God gives? Does your life reflect reverence for the Almighty, or is it spent in search of the next award, pleasure, or promotion?

Meaningless

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher;
"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

Delightful. Encouraging. Meaningful. Light hearted. These are not exactly the words you'd use to describe the mood of the writer of these verses. They're a little bit depressing, actually. Vanity, meaningless, empty, everything is meaningless, like smoke, a vapor that is here, fleeting, then gone as quickly as if it never existed. What profit, what benefit does a man really receive for all his work?

Implied answer: none.

An attitude like this doesn't seem in keeping with a king who reigned over a forty year golden age of Israel, who built one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, who had all the success a king could ask for, who had his choice of a thousand women, who was the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon had reached the pinnacle of success, and found it empty. I think if we're honest with ourselves, we all feel that somewhere up the ladder of success lies our fulfillment, our happiness, the meaning that we long for so deeply. But as we accomplish our goals, achieve success, or even as we fail, we find that Solomon was right.

It's all meaningless.

Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet...I'd been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally here, actually standing on the summit of Everest, I just couldn't summon the energy to care...I snapped four quick photos...then turned and headed down. My watch read 1:17 p.m. All told, I'd spent less than five minutes on the top of the world.

Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air

I've been reading Searching for Heaven on Earth by David Jeremiah. I'd suggest picking it up if you can. 31 days of a search for meaning based on the book of Ecclesiastes.

Plot spoiler: The conclusion Solomon comes to in the very last verse in the book, when it's all said and done, the meaning of life is--fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. God is the one who infuses this life with meaning, and we will only truly find this meaning as we pursue Him with all our hearts.

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Deuteronomy 4:29