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Devotional
Weekly Bible Devotion By Books
May 22-27, 2023
Enter the Presence of the Lord
(All) Surely God is good to us.
(M) Whom have I in heaven but you?
(W) And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
(M) My flesh and my heart may fail,
(W) but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(M)It is good to be near God.
(W) I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
(All) I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73: 1, 25, 26, 28)
Confession
The Sovereign Lord, many happenings in our lives may not make sense to us. We wonder what you are doing to us. We do feel disappointing and sad sometimes. Help us to fix our eyes on you. So, we may dissolve our grudges in your light and wisdom. Teach us and cheer us. In your son’s name, we pray, amen.
Scripture Reading Ecclesiastes (NIV)
1:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
12:13-14 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Thoughts to share The Meaning and Purpose of Life
One of everyone’s existential questions is: why am I here on the earth? This question is asked by everyone at certain point of his or her life journey from the young to the old. Everyone can give an essay about this question.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, we heard from an older man about this topic at his very old age. As he reflected, he saw, he observed, and he talked, he thought, he commented, and then he concluded. The author had unusually glorious life. He revealed himself as preacher, king, thinker, civil engineer. He had owned big mansions, gardens, palaces. He experienced the highest quality of pleasures, choice food, beauties in his world.
But, it is easy to get lost when we read this book. First, the old man talked about everything. He switched from one topic to another topic with no clear signal to change. Secondly, he questioned everything. He asked: who knows…? Who can…? Who can tell…? What advantage…? What good about…? Thirdly, he kept evaluating everything with these words: vanity of vanities, all vanity. He sent out a pessimistic, negative, doubtable, and depressive tone. So, after reflected his life experiences and observations, the old man asked bigger and harder questions: what is true treasure in life? With what attitude do you face your existence? Is there any final wisdom for our existence? Is there real meaning and purpose in life? What can he pass down to the next generations?
To us, one basic question is: how do we suppose to read this book? After careful reading through the book a few times, I start to see two types of human existence. One is the life under the sun. The other is the life in God above the sun. Life under the sun is boring, repetitive, empty, depressive, contradictory. The life in God above the sun is: beautiful, enjoyable. All things of life under the sun are vanity and are striving after the wind. All the things in God above the sun are good and beautiful. The entire book moved on with these two kinds of existence alternatively. For example, he observed the work life under the sun. he noticed, sometimes a person who had toiled with knowledge, wisdom, and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for this. ...for all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is venation. Even in the night, his heart does not rest. (2:18-13) Then he observed, there is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. He said, “This, I saw, is from the hand of God.” (2:24)
I believe that we can learn a few things at least from this book. Frist, there is a recognition for vanity as a fact of human existence. Paul also noticed this and explained that the creation was bounded to corruption. So, futility is the exact feeling we often experience. Second, there are rest and pleasure in life. They are found in the blessings from God above the sun. Above all, life needs wisdom. The wisdom is found in God himself because God himself is the Wisdom from everlasting past to everlasting future. The meaning and pleasure of life is to accept human limits, to put trust in all-knowing and all- mighty God, to receive blessings from God, and to enjoy the blessings God bestowed, to take easy on the way God works, which is something we may not be able to know, to comprehend, and to interpret all.
Have you ever felt that life is full of nonsenses and so meaningless and futile? If you feel so, you are right. But, there is a way to liberate from this feeling. The old man in the Book of Ecclesiastes left the wisdom for us: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth… Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. “
Prayer suggestions
What are you feeling everything about you and around you? Where do you wheel your life to? On what base do you do everything? Do you find long-term joy and peace in it? It is never too late to take the advice of this wise old man.
Lord our Creator, we do need to find joy and rest after we labor all our lives. We also question what does it mean after all we strive for our best? We do need wisdom from you above the sun to find fulfilling purpose and meaning of our life under the sun. Come into our existence. Teach us to number our days. So we may get a heart of wisdom. We pray in the name of Jesus.
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