"The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."
-- Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NASB)
The Book of Ecclesiastes is one of my favorites. Many Christians don't care for it because of its negative outlook on life. After all, the Book begins by saying that all endeavor is futile, that all tasks in life are meaningless, a striving after the wind. This took me aback as well, the first time I read it. But if one reads the entire Book, the message becomes so much more divine. Life is meaningless... Meaningless without God. It's meaningless to spend your life chasing after riches, wisdom, and pleasure. After all, you will die someday. Aside from the special cases of Enoch and Elijah, the death rate's 100%. But the true meaning in life comes from God. The fear and love of God and our relationship with Him. This not only gives meaning to our lives here and now, but it also gives us hope in the life everlasting, through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. The pursuit of happiness is not the meaning of life, and neither is 42. Our crucified and risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is where the meaning of life dwells. And how could one find dismay in this message?
-- Jonathan
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