March 22, 2012

Under The Sun.

Ecclesiastes has always been one of my favourite books of the Bible. This statement is quite contrary to the "norm" as many people see Ecclesiastes as being the most depressing book ever.

I completely disagree! It's actually so incredibly enlightening and liberating! It makes me WANT to live.

It begins with the words, "life is meaningless. What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?"

The key words here are: UNDER THE SUN.

When Solomon wrote this, he wasn't kidding when he repeatedly said that everything he worked so hard to accomplish was so meaningless and like chasing the wind.

I mean, think about it. We live, we work hard...we pull our hair out getting B.A's and Masters and PhD's...we work 9-5...we make money...some of us even save our money and own a fortune by the time we retire. We live, work hard, and then we die. Everything we accomplished while we were alive turns into dust along with our bodies in the ground.

Our days lived according to the standard of living and dying UNDER THE SUN are all useless in the end. But our days lived according to the standard of eternal life are of great and extraordinary worth!

Solomon concluded, "there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God." (3:12-13). Each day is a GIFT from God. We should not put our worth and value in the things of this earth that will soon disappear with death; we cannot put our value in the visible outcomes of our accomplishments because that'll only lead to heartbreak.

We need to remember that each day is a gift, and God wants us to enjoy this gift He has so graciously given to us! Focus on the things above and not on the things of this earth.

Every day of our lives will be accounted for once we stand in front of those Heavenly Gates; so let's make them count. Let's love God, others, and ourselves. Let's not get caught up in working our lives away, buying houses, cars, writing papers, ect.

Let's remember the real reason we are here.

XOXO

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