Sunday, April 02, 2017
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.
Almost
every form of worldly pleasure is explored by the writer, 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 those things that 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
