I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.  Ecclesiastes 1:14

Life is here today and gone tomorrow. That’s what the wisest man who ever lived concluded.

What if this life is as good as it gets? That’s a terrible thought, isn’t it?  Because the good in life is often overshadowed by our own brokenness, injustice, war and disease.

The person who voiced this conclusion had enjoyed everything a man could want.  He was King Solomon of the Bible, and he was known for his wisdom, women and wealth. And yet, Solomon wanted more; Solomon wanted meaning.  He sensed that God, had “planted eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Solomon didn’t have the whole picture that’s available to you and me. He didn’t have the complete Bible, or personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Solomon’s final take was that the best people can do in this life is to “eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life” (Ecclesiastes 5:18), “fearing God, keeping His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Jesus Christ came to provide the way to a life of meaning, saying “I have come that [you] may have life, and have it abundantly!” (John 10:10).  “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” He asked (Matthew 16:26).  Souls aren’t saved through accomplishment, human relationship, or possessions. Bluntly put, we can’t give our lives meaning; only Jesus can

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way,” Jesus said (Matthew 16:24a).   “Whoever follows me, will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Nothing under the sun will satisfy, except the light of life!

 

Resource reading: John 10:1-18