Not Meaningless!

It’s Not Meaningless!

Reading: Ecclesiastes 1-3; Psalm 45; Ephesians 2 19 For humans and animals both breathe the same air, and both die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! 20 Both go to the same place—the dust from which they came and to which they must return. 21 For who can prove that the human spirit goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward into the earth? (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 NLT) Solomon had it right in so many ways! We can tell by reading through the Book of Proverbs he clearly understood some things: Wisdom is better than folly; Hard work is better than laziness; Truth is better than lies; Good is better than evil. But in one very important way, he really missed it! Even though Solomon had such great wisdom, he lacked one important thing – revelation! Solomon lacked revelation of the eternal nature of the human soul. He noted in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that “God has planted eternity in the human heart” but didn’t know that the human heart itself will experience eternity with God or apart from God. Job, a man who lived many years before Solomon, understood by revelation that each of us is created as an eternal being. Job also saw by faith that he would know God, and be known by Him beyond the grave. 25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. 26 And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! 27 I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! (Job 19:25-27 NLT) In today’s reading from Ephesians 2, Paul so simply and clearly explains the truth that makes the difference between Solomon’s conclusion that it’s all meaningless and the truth of God’s eternal purpose for us in Christ…

1 Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. 2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus. 7 And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:1-10 NLT) Prayer:

Thanks for your great mercy and grace, Father. Thanks for the gift of wisdom and knowledge. Today I especially thank you for revelation of truth and of your purpose in Christ’s redemptive work that includes each of us and all of us—even me. Amen.