1-23-2019

Good Morning All,

               Ecclesiastes 12:13; “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

    Many years ago, the country group Alabama had a number one selling song entitled “I’m in a Hurry (and don’t know why).”  It was a song which lamented the fast pace of our society today.  “I'm in a hurry to get things done Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun.”  Is this you?  Is your life full but not fulfilling?  Is every minute of your time allotted to some event and yet, when you finally do sit down for the end of the day; does it feel empty?  Unfortunately, you are part of a mass of people who are living lives that are as empty and unfulfilling as a political promise.

    We see this manifest itself in many ways.  We see a restlessness among people as they go from job to job.  Each job begins with an excitement and an energy and enthusiasm only to wither and die away in a few months.  “The job got boring” or “there was no meaning in that job.”  Or some such comment always ends the tried and failed job.  We see it when the proverbial “mid-life crisis” hits.  It takes different forms but usually boils down to a person who is in their late 40’s to early 50’s suddenly finds their life, their job, their situation in life meaningless.  Their job seems to be repetitive doldrums, their relationships are “stuck in a rut” and they look around and say, “is this all there is?”  Some dream of running away while some actually do it.      

        Life is unfulfilling.  First, we fill it with more and more “things and stuff”, then, burdened by all the “things and stuff”, we want to walk away and toss it all.  Does that sound familiar?  I think it does more than some want to admit.  This problem is an old one, as old as Scriptures itself.  King Solomon talked about with his court of young princes and rulers.  “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” The actual meaning of this phrase is to try and catch the fog or mist of the day.

    The essence of what Solomon is telling us is that the only good way to live is to live according to the purpose for which we were created.  We were created to take care of the garden. (Gen 2:15) We were created to take care of creation and all that is in it.  We are to care for the animals, the plants, the entire planet and humanity within it.  God created us for this purpose.  When we strive to live a life like this; we find a greater peace and joy in life.  Caring for one another is the greatest manifestation of God’s love for us and our love for God.  “If you love me you will love one another” (John 13:34) That is our purpose, our fulfillment.  That is how we fear God and keep his commandments by loving and caring for each other.  If your life feels empty, it is probably because it is driven by selfish desires.  God invites you and encourages you to find your purpose in His word which is the encouragement to love one another.

Gracious Jesus, lead me to love as you love.  Break my heart when yours is broken.  Lead me to see my purpose is in showing love, compassion and concern for my neighbor.  Keep all that I think and do worthy of you.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret