Life is filled with
perplexities, puzzlements of various sorts. It has odd turns: seemingly
insignificant things sometimes turn out to be terribly significant;
things that aren’t supposed to work out, but sometimes do; and things
that seemingly should work out, but don’t. Life is a tangled web, a
knotty, mostly inexplicable web. Man seeks to describe it, to explain
it, and he can’t. All he can do is live it.
But don’t despair. There
is more to life than just an inexplicable maze of un-related and
un-controllable events. Actually, God made life, and it is to Him that
we must turn for information concerning its proper management. Life can
be a zesty, fulfilling experience, even in the face of difficulty or
adversity, if it is lived in accordance with the designs of the Maker.
Otherwise it’s just an empty shell lived without meaning and with little
genuine happiness attached to it.
First, let it be
carefully observed that a life divorced from God has little meaning.
Solomon paints a sordid picture of life in Ecclesiastes. He says that
the sun rises and goes down over and over. He says that one generation
comes and another passes away. He says that the weather forecast really
doesn’t change that much—that one cold front follows another, that “that
which is crooked cannot be made straight and that which is wanting
cannot be numbered”
(Eccl.
1:15). Paul the
Apostle echoes the same sentiment when he exclaims, “if in this world
only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable
(1
Cor. 15:19). So
let it first be noted that a good life begins by getting in touch with
God.
Life has meaning when it
generates service. Service is the essence of life. To put oneself at the
disposal of others is to bring meaning to life, to be a part of society,
to bring honor to the Creator. We are “all members one of another”
(Rom.
12:5). That means
that we are joined in service to one another. We don’t all have the same
talent, but we all have some talent with which to serve. Want a
fulfilling life? Put yourself at the disposal of others. Get out of
yourself and get involved in serving others.
Life has meaning when it
is motivated by love. Love is the divine energizer. It brings things
about. It generates the motion necessary for everything from good
marital relationships, to good congregations of God’s people. Actually,
what is not motivated by love is of little value in the ultimate
reality. Love broadens, softens, actuates, disciplines, clarifies,
joins, repairs, and is behind every sort of human happiness. Love and
you’ll be loved. Love and you’ll be blessed—even when things go wrong.
Furthermore, life has
meaning when it is pointed in the right direction. “I am the way, the
truth, and the life,” is Jesus’ way of saying “point your life toward me
or it will have no real meaning.” The Hebrew writer must have had this
concept in mind when he said we should run the race “with patience,
looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” To look in the
wrong direction is disastrous, folks! You’ll have a wreck for sure.
Finally, faith is the
substance for giving life real meaning. A life that has been lived
without any connection to the life hereafter is foolish indeed. More
than that, it’s a terrible waste! Even the light afflictions are made
easier to bear, the disappointments easier to shoulder if there is faith
in the Eternal. “Our light affliction worketh for us a far greater and
eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are
temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal”
(2
Cor. 4:17-18). You
should know by now that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen
(Heb.
11:1). Our faith
is the basis for our hope. If we look in the right direction, we will
see it—off in the distance there—eternal life. Now that’s a life worth
living!
Other Articles by Dee Bowman
How to Build a Good Character
Today is Today
Different by Design