Pastor Dave Tebbenkamp has been preaching a series through Ecclesiastes entitled, "Sermons about Nothing." Today was the last sermon and it was a sermon about something!
Throughout the book, Solomon has been telling of his experiences through his life. He had tried everything, been everywhere and knew more than anyone else. Yet his sermon repeats the phrase, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
All of his experiences amounted to a meaningless life...without God.
But with God, all of those experiences have meaning.
"When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Work hard.
Study hard.
Enjoy your career.
Fix great food.
Build a house.
Have a family.
Go on vacation.
Accumulate wealth.
Enjoy the arts.
Keep your body fit.
Enjoy your retirement years.
There is nothing wrong with these. But if any, some or all of them are the sum total of your life, you'll come up short.
If you're living for any, some or all of them, you'll be disappointed.
Just ask Solomon. He did it all 100 times better than most of us will be able to afford.
But what he found was that these things with God in the picture will give meaning to life.
Work hard and fear God.
Study hard and fear God.
Enjoy your career and fear God.
Build a house and fear God.
Get the picture?
Fearing God in all of life's endeavors will give them each an eternal perspective. No longer is it living from one event to the next. No longer is it looking for the next kick. Nor is it avoiding those "kicks" for some hyper-spiritual reason.
Rather, it's putting God into your life in every aspect. Seeking to please Him in everything you do.
That will give you a life with meaning.
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