I found the introduction to Ecclesiastes in The Message powerful. Here are a few sentences from the Intro.
"Ecclesiastes sweeps our souls clean of all 'lifestyle' spiritualities so that we can be ready for God's visitation revealed in Jesus Christ…It functions not as a meal but as a bath. It is not nourishment; it is cleansing. It is repentance. It is purging."
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1
This is the verse that jumped out at me today.
"The sun comes up and the sun goes down, then it does it again & again – the same old round."
Observation: I think Solomon experienced every source of pleasure, adventure, wealth & power available on earth and still he came to the point where he wrote this verse. He found he was as human as everyone else; as ignorant and arrogant as everyone else because he thought he could live his life on his own terms and expect a good result. The world, then and now, promises everything and delivers nothing.
Application: The older I get, the more this verse resonates with me. I feel like I'm always either waking up or getting ready for bed. What is my life adding up to? Where is my purpose? In the end there is only the Eternal One that can give me purpose that lasts, purpose that isn't dependent on life circumstances or my own limitations.
I am reminded of Eph. 1:11&12…"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and had our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone."
Prayer: I know I squander much of my time here on earth but keep me mindful of what 'glorious living' looks like! Help me not to pursue the world's version of living but yours. I want my relationship with you to guide the quest to find out who I am and what I am living for. Amen.
Joan Funk