Sun or Son?
What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? What is our purpose?These are questions we have all heard before and perhaps asked at some point in our lives. They are questions we ask to help us deal with the reality of life we face everyday.
But what exactly is the answer to this well versed question?
Well, tonight at church we started our journey through the book of Ecclesiastes. A book where everything is determined to be meaningless.
"Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"(v.2)
What a great conclusion you may be thinking! Why go on if thats the answer? What satisfaction can come from this? Is this even true?! I think a lot of things in my life have purpose and meaning, you think to yourself. The people i converse with, the relationships i build, the things i spend time and money on, the knowledge and experiences i build on. Is it not just plain rude to assume my life to be meaningless?! Yours might be, but i quite enjoy mine thanks!
Well let me tell you this. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that it is what the world offers us - human life that is impermanent, a cycle of nature that is relentlessly pointless, nothing new under the sun, and a meaningless pursuit of pleasure - it is these things which make the answer to the meaning of life 'nothing'.
But take heart, meaning can be gained.
The true meaning of life can only be understood when a Heavenly perspective is assumed. Life will never make sense until it is looked at through the eyes of its Creator. Just think about it! Only an artist knows the true meaning of his work. Only a poet knows the true feeling behind his words. Only Gepetto can know what makes Pinocchio tick.
Therefore I urge you to understand that the purpose of life cannot be found under the SUN, but under the SON - thats the Lord Jesus Christ, the only centre of our universe. Do not idolise this world and what it has to offer.
God placed Christ at the centre of the universe.
Do you??
I only have one more thing to say...if He is the centre, and the only place of true meaning in life, then accept what God has in store for your life - whether it good or bad. Trust me, I struggle with this just as much as you do. But we need to find a way to trust and acknowledge that His plan is ultimately entirely superior to our own.
"Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Oh, There's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name"
Yes, blessed be His name through the good and the bad. Through everything.
Meanwhile, before church tonight a good number of brothers and sisters met for a BBQ in the carpark to enjoy fellowship and start caring for each other a good hour before church normally starts! Definately good times and so encouraging to see so many people there - something which we should see more of in the future!
4 Comments:
what an unreal post dude :) stoked u got so much out of church tonite - & encouraged by ure conviction... keep it up mate! -ads
I love that song, it is so relevant to so many things!
'Under the sun' Vs 'under the Son' may well now be my working summary of ecclesiastes. Cheers for that!
Oh, and I'm doing and essay on suffering in 1 Peter this Semester - "Blessed be Your name", which we did in church on Sun night with the teenagers (and no music! I hope it was right...), has re-affirmed my enthusiasm to get stuck into this topic. My thinking at the moment is that suffering Christians can be the best witnesses to Christ of anyone, even if they can't walk, or move, or make a living. I love that fact, as well as the Christians I know who are/have suffered. Praise God for them.
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