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
Rumors -- How They Fly!
The
Road to Higher Education
Competition for the Mind
Fear and Fear