A Life Well Lived!
Ecclesiastes is one of the books of the Bible many conveniently overlook. Except for the opening of the third chapter (v.1-8) not many of us know anything about Ecclesiastes. This Sunday we will help shed some light on the Wisdom of Solomon contained in Ecclesiastes, as we kick-off a 5-week sermon series on Ecclesiastes. This week: what does it mean to live a “fulfilled” life?
I believe a number of us have heard jokes about arriving at the “pearly gates” of heaven only to be asked a question or two before gaining admission into heaven. Recently I received an email that wasn’t a joke about gaining access to heaven, but a reflection of what a conversation with God might look like once we arrive at our eternal home. It is a thought-provoking piece that can help us re-frame what a fulfilling life, here and now, looks like.
- God won’t ask the square footage of your house; God will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
- God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet; God will ask how many you helped to clothe.
- God won’t ask what your highest salary was; God will ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
- God won’t ask what your job title was; God will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
- God won’t ask how many friends you had; God will ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
- God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived; God will ask how you treated your neighbor.
- God won’t ask about the color of your skin; God will ask about the content of your character.
Too often in life we put a wrong emphasis on the wrong things, believing “this” is what matters to God. Micah summarizes what God requires/desires: “To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) Jesus summarizes the entirety of the law: “‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And a second is like it: ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Contained in these verses is the pathway to a fulfilling life. I look forward to seeing you in Church where together we pursue a life well lived!
In Christ,
Pastor Doug