Experiencing the ‘JOYS OF LIFE’ everyday!
July 11
Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes Chapters 7-9
Experiencing the ‘JOYS OF LIFE’ everyday!
"So I commended enjoyment,
because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be
merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life
which God gives him under the sun" (Eccl. 8:15)
According to
Solomon, there is nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be
joyful – ordinary things in life. Every person on this earth can avail this
enjoyment as he/she toils throughout the life that God has bestowed in this
world. God does not want the impermanence of life to hinder our enjoyment of
what He has given. God not only gives us all
earthly blessings but also bestows the enjoyment of those blessings!
In the above
passage, enjoyment can be equated to
the godly cheerfulness of the heart which
directly flows from gratitude for all that God provides for us in our lives.
In the face of injustice, we still have to rejoice in this life. Our life is
the gift of God, and we need to enjoy life while we can.
In contrast
to the mad search for the meaning of all things is the contentment that a wise, loving God gives to those who will
receive His gifts of enjoyment. This is one of the central themes of
Ecclesiastes. The wicked person (the fool) decides that the best thing to do is
to “eat, drink, and be merry” with no
thought given to the living God. But the righteous person (the wise) can enjoy
life while thinking of God and His good gifts.
A wise
person acknowledges lack of knowledge in the ways in which God affects His
sovereign purposes (3:11; Deut. 29:29; Isaiah 55:8). In the presence of such a
lack of knowledge, the wise person commits everything to God and trusts God completely.
In this context, the best way to approach life is to: enjoy the simple things of life—foods, drink, work, etc.; recognize God as the source of all benefits
(James 1:17); and recognize that the good
things from His hand are designed for our enjoyment.
It is true
that there are many injustices (vv.
10–13) and mysteries (vv. 14–17) in
this life. However, we should leave them with God and do what He calls us to
do. We can experience the joys of life everyday if we do not make ourselves the
most important person to be pleased. We need to put God first and serve others,
and our lives will then become meaningful and joyful.
On a final note, even the simple act of
breathing is more miraculous that anything that takes our breath away. The
popular slogan: “Life is not measured by
the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breaths away”
is misleading. We need to look for meaning in our breath taking moments, find
meaning in every breath that we take and make each breath meaningful.
Let us experience the joys of life today and always in the simple things that we do every day!
