Week 29 Day 4 – The End of the Matter
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Now we come to the punch line of Ecclesiastes. We’ve been hinting at it all week, but now we get to blurt it out. Everything is meaningless unless it is done for the sole purpose of honoring God. Even good things are meaningless if they are done with selfish ambition. There is only one litmus test to determine whether your life is meaning-full or meaning-less: FOCUS. If your vessel is pointed to God and being filled with His presence, for His glory, according to His purpose, in His timing, then you will be filled with meaning and will overflow with purposeful activity, no matter what that activity may be. If your vessel is pointed at ANYTHING “good” or “evil” other than God Himself, then you will be chasing after the wind and will be a hollow, dry, empty vessel full of nothing but hot air and broken dreams.
As the old hymn says,
Only one life, twill soon be past
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Read Matthew 6:33 and see if there are any correlations to this passage in Ecclesiastes.
How is your focus this week?
Week 29 Day 3 – A Strong Cord
Ecclesiastes 4:4-12
According to v. 4, what is the motivation behind people’s striving for achievement and advancement in the workplace or in life? Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
In what ways have you seen this at play in your own realm of experience?
Describe, in your own words, the kind of person discussed in vv. 7-8. Have you ever known anyone like this?
What is the alternative to this kind of person given in vv. 9-12?
In what ways have you seen the principle of the “cord of three strands” work out in your own life?
Evaluate your church community right now. Are you connected to at least two other people that know you intimately, that share your core value system, and that have come up alongside of you to challenge you and encourage you? If you have not, seriously consider and ask God to reveal to you how you could connect to this kind of people. Remember, this is the purpose for which we create the space called “the church community.” If you are in need of becoming a strong cord, then make your cry heard in the church and begin taking the steps to build intimate relationships.
Week 29 Day 2 – What Time is It?
Eccelsiastes 3:1-14
Verse 11 is one of the glimmering jewels of hope in the middle of this dark and brooding book. The key phrase is “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” There is one simple reason why the vast majority of people in the world chase after “stuff” to make them happy and come up dry and thirsty time and time again. The one reason is that deep down inside they know better. Every human being knows that there is more to life than life itself. We all have a sense that there is something beyond. In our modern world we have been told not to listen to that inner yearning, because it is just the cultural programming we have received from our superstitious and uneducated forefathers. The modern world says that the only meaning in life is to live for now and make the most of it. So, millions of people buy into that line of thinking and SLAM! They plow right into the brick wall of meaninglessness. So what do they do? They look to the stars and search for Extraterrestrial Life. They open their minds up to the world of the occult, spiritism, self-healing, only to be eaten alive by the evil one.
In v. 11 we find great peace. The Teacher reminds us that life is good and that God created us to live it to the fullest. There is a time for everything. Enjoy life. But, remember that the only reason you can enjoy life is because there is something beyond life for which you were ultimately created. Eternity is in your heart. You were created for eternal fellowship with God. You can endure, no, even more; you can enjoy the ebb and flow, the ups and downs of this life -- come good or bad, rain or shine -- because you are so beyond this life. You have your eyes fixed on the only thing that can bring peace and happiness, and that is the eternal presence of God. What time is it? It’s time to live life with God at the center of your focus. If you do this you will love life, now and forever!
Week 29 Day 1 – Four Ps in a Pod
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
The “Teacher” searched for happiness through the four “P’s”: Pleasure, Projects, Profit, and Power. Depending upon our personality type, each of us will pursue one or more of these P’s in life. Pleasure seekers view life as a frothy cup of wine, begging to be savored and drained to the last drop. They chase after the next fun fix or thrill that will pump their adrenaline or appease their delicacies. Project managers are goal oriented, task-driven individuals who are not happy unless they are pushing the plan through to its completion; until they build something that will make a lasting impact on the world. The Profit crowd sees money as the ticket to freedom. They follow the golden rule...whoever has the gold makes the rules. They look at the bottom line, and if they are in the black then their future is secure and they can do as they please. Finally, the Power brokers are the politicians and the networkers. They know that it is not about what you know, but about who you know. If they are well connected then they will have the leverage they need to get done the things that need to get done.
Here’s the rub; in the end, all four pursuits end up in the same place -- the grave. Today’s pleasure is tomorrow’s hangover. A project that goes up will eventually come down. A profit today will be spent tomorrow. Power corrupts and new power will overthrow it.
None of these things will bring about happiness. Are they bad? No. God created all four P’s. What’s missing is the fifth P -- Purpose. Without out the proper Purpose the first four P’s are empty and futile; they tempt us and lead us at 100mph into a brick wall. But with proper purpose, which is the glory of God, these P’s will become tools in God’s hand to expand His kingdom and bring honor and glory to Himself. The question for us is, “Have I given these things to God? Do I chase after them because I think they will make me happy, or do I pursue them because God has called me to use them for Him?”
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