下載應用程序Ecclesiastes 3: God's Eternally Relevant Word預覽
God’s gift of life
It is easy for us to take our lives for granted. However, to do so obscures the course set before us. When God gave you life, He gave you a very precious gift; indeed, a marvelous treasure, and a wonderful opportunity. In 3:12-15, Solomon speaks of joy in life, and he connects the enjoyment found in your life with a recognition that the work set before you is also from God. And when you see the hand of God in all aspects of your life, the sense of futility in life vanishes.
Indeed, there is “nothing better than to rejoice and to do good” in one’s life (3:12). Doing good is related to “the good of all his labor” (v. 13). God gives His people meaningful work, which includes good work at home, and loving the people with whom you live. It also includes doing good work on the job and serving the Lord in the “ordinary” duties of daily life. Certainly, part of that good work would include using one’s spiritual gifts to serve in one’s local church, as well as showing the love of Christ by doing good work within our society.
Rejoicing in the performance of our good work takes us right back to our awareness that there is “an appointed time for everything” (3:1). Now, however, Solomon emphasizes the permanence of whatever is associated with God (3:14). God’s sovereign hand upon us is the reason we can take joy in life, even with its twists and turns. In Christ, we are safe and secure. Even the menace of death and future judgment does not hold terror for the Christian (3:15), for the Christian’s sin has been covered by Christ’s sacrifice and complete forgiveness is his.
The root of joy in life is sourced in one’s “fear” of the Lord (3:14). To “fear God” means to respond to Him in awe, reverence, and wonder. It means to serve Him in purity of action and to shun evil and the worship of anything else in the universe. Such fear allows us to enjoy the gifts of God throughout our lives.
Indeed, God has designed our lives to be lived in proper relationship with Him. Only in such a relationship can we sincerely say, “life is good.”
關於此計劃
Ecclesiastes reads as though it were written for our day because it touches the very things that currently occupy our hearts. It is an encouraging book, one that demonstrates how life is to be enjoyed, both in routine undertakings, as well as in difficult circumstances. According to its author, the key for the way each person responds to events in their life hinges on one’s relationship with God—or lack thereof.
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