Is it Meaningless?

Wow! It has been a long time since I have had a good thought! I can't believe I have not posted an entry since February. Life has been busy and God has been good. I hope this thought is worth posting.

I just finished having lunch with a Church Planter in our area. It was great to sit down and visit with him for a while. He and I had some Seminary classes together and we knew each other by name, but what a blessing to get to know more about him and his vision for the church he is trying to build.

As we talked and shared about ministry, vision, church planting, theology, evangelism and so on (we talked about a lot) one theme became apparent. One source of absolute agreement and solidarity popped up (and we did agree on much more than this, but this is the pin that holds it all together). Our world is LOST! People need Jesus!

I have been studying from the OT book of Ecclesiastes this week, preparing my message (God's message) for Sunday morning. The book of Ecclesiastes is kind of a "memoir" of King Solomon's life and adventures. His search for significance and meaning in this life. And the funny thing is this King who is said to have been the wisest man of all time, who had all the wealth and fame and pleasures of life still felt empty. Listen to how he opens this book:

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 ( NKJV ) 2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” 3 What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?

Other translations use the word "meaningless". This word can mean many things, but ultimately it means unsatisfying and fruitless. This book chronicles for us the search of one man for "meaning" in life. And each new adventure, each new investment produced the same result, meaninglessness (I am not sure if that is a real word not not, but let's go with it). He searched for satisfaction in wealth...meaningless. He searched for satisfaction in women (about a 1000 of them between wives and concubines)...meaningless. He searched for significance through work, the labor of his hands...meaningless. Everything was meaningless.

Have you ever felt that way? No matter how hard you work, how much you have, how good your family is...everything leaves you feeling a bit empty. A bit unsatisfied. I think our world and more specifically our community is that way. We search and we search for meaning to this life for significance in this world. Our efforts produce everything but what we are looking to find.

Well, then is it all meaningless? Yes and No. The search for significance and meaning in things or in people is meaningless and the best it can hope to produce is heartache! But, listen to Solomon's conclusion after a life of searching he finally returns to this:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ( NKJV ) 13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

Fear God and Keep His Commandments for this is man's all. It all comes back this, LIFE IS MEANINGLESS APART FROM A DEEP, ABIDING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!

Jesus said it best... John 10:10 ( NKJV ) ... I have come that they may have LIFE, and that they may have it more abundantly. (emphasis mine).

John 14:6 ( NKJV ) 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the LIFE. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (emphasis mine)

I could list more...but there in 2 verses Jesus tells us, that LIFE, real LIFE only comes through HIM!

So life outside of Christ is indeed meaningless. It is a search that will never end and never satisfy.

BUT life IN Jesus is ultimate. It is fulfilling in every way. It is satisfying to the core. IT is MEANINGFUL!

Pursue meaning, pursue satisfaction, PURSUE CHRIST!

Just a thought!


By His Grace and For His Glory,

Bro. Chad