Sunday, November 15, 2015
Peeling back the Layers of Life
Life is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep. ~ Carl Sandburg
Scripture:
A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; Ecclesiastes 3:3-4 New King James Version (NKJV)
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines life as the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body. Life is the essence of who we are on this earth and is further defined by our existence in this world. Life is the combined accumulation of our experiences. Life is the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual and can be one or more aspects of the process of living. Life or live, is after all, what we do.
The above scripture from the book of Ecclesiastes has been described as a book of perspectives. It is implied that it was written by King Solomon who was considered a very wise man. King Solomon’s ultimate purpose for writing this book was to give Christians a chance to see the world through the eyes of a person who is trying to find meaning in life.
The writer explores many different kinds of worldly pleasure and none of it gives him a sense of meaning. In the end, the writer comes to accept that faith in God is the only way to find personal meaning. He decides to accept the fact that life is brief and ultimately worthless without God. The writer advises the reader to focus on an eternal God instead of temporary pleasure.
Life teaches us that sometimes we choose things we THINK will make us happy. However, true happiness can only be found when we seek God first.
Be blessed and be a blessing
Prayer:
Father God, far too often we seek pleasure in all the wrong things and in the wrong places. Lord, forgive us when we fail to see that eternal happiness can only be gained by seeking first the kingdom of God. Father, we realize that sometimes we make choices that are selfish and self-serving. We allow worldly things to distract us and to temporarily turn our attention away from You and Your word. Forgive us. Lord, help us to keep You at the forefront of all our decisions. Help us to keep our eyes on the prize of the most high calling. Help us to not be swayed by him who seeks to destroy us. Lord, we love You. We thank You for fresh grace and mercy. We thank You for always allowing us to opportunity to turn away from evil and return home to You. We thank You most of all for Your Son, Jesus Christ. It is in His name that we submit this prayer. Amen.
