“Vainness of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vainness of vanities, all is self-importance.”
(Ecclesiastes 1:2)
LIFE IN THIS WORLD IS “VAIN.” That doesn’t imply it’s unimportant; it means it’s non permanent. No matter we accomplish of a this-worldly nature, it is not going to final. No matter work we do whereas we reside, it is going to be forgotten after we’re gone, if not earlier than then. So our work is like sandcastles. It’s not that we shouldn’t construct any; we simply shouldn’t be shocked once they wash away.
Sadly, we frequently attempt to connect extra that means and permanence to earthly issues than they have been ever meant to have. We lean extra weight upon them than they will assist. Take friendships, for instance, and even marriage. Once we anticipate from different individuals a pleasure that solely God can present, we impose an unfair burden on them and set ourselves up for disappointment. As Oswald Chambers stated, “If we attempt to discover lasting pleasure in any human relationship, it should finish in self-importance, one thing that passes like a morning cloud. The true pleasure of a person’s life is in his relationship to God.”
However we point out human relationships solely for instance. The identical precept holds true with regard to each different temporal treasure: these items have been solely meant to be loved for some time, and even whereas we get pleasure from them, they weren’t meant to be our end-all and be-all. Sadly, many people reside as if that have been the case. Succumbing to the highly effective pull of what’s “right here” and what’s “now,” we put large effort into objectives that, even when we obtain them, is not going to transform very large. To borrow Shakespeare’s phrase, we make “a lot ado about nothing.”
What, then, is the purpose of this “useless” life? Solomon summed it up succinctly in Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Worry God and preserve His commandments, for that is the entire responsibility of man” (New King James Model). “Respect and obey God! That is what life is all about” (Up to date English Model). “Stand in awe of God, obey his orders: that’s all the pieces, for each man” (Moffatt). Any method you translate it, the purpose is fundamental: solely in reverence and obedience to God can we accomplish something. With out that precedence, “all is self-importance.”
“To change into like Christ is the one factor on this planet value caring for, the factor earlier than which each ambition of man is folly and all decrease achievements useless” (John Drummond).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
