By: Stewardship Team
Fear God and keep His Commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
(Ecclesiastics 12:13)
The Preacher concludes Ecclesiastes by telling us to live before God with reverence and obedience.
We devote a lot of energy “staking our claim” in the world. Like the Preacher observed, we strive to gain many things that are uncertain and temporal. Life is messy. There’s much we don’t control. What we thought might please us turns out to be a prescription for pain. In the end, we realize life is but “a breath,” and our “days are like a fleeting shadow” (Psalm 144:4), and the only thing in life that is certain is death.
But the Preacher shares God’s perspective on what pleases Him. God wants us to find enjoyment and satisfaction “now” by not losing sight of “then.” We’re just passing through. Death means judgment, and that is a good thing because it gives meaning and weight to how we live “now.” When we embrace death as the gateway to eternity, it informs our choices and priorities “here” because we recognize our greatest treasure lies “there.”
And God did not leave us without a playbook. His Word tells us how to build our lives, how to be in right relationship with Him and our neighbor. His truth matters. The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes us from people who view life as what we may gain for ourselves into people who view life as a gift devoted to what pleases Him.
So, how should we live? Listen! Nothing is more important than what God says. When He speaks, the only correct response is to listen and obey. It’s the pathway to enjoying His gift and experiencing His favor.
What do you have that you did not receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7)
