Jesus. Life to the Full
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 25 Oct 2009 in From Steve's Study ::
I wonder if you’ve ever wondered what life is all about. Do you ever think, “there’s got to be more to life than this”? Perhaps it’s been when you’re in the middle of some incredibly dreary housework, or when you’ve been stressed out by the kids who just won’t listen to you. Or maybe it’s been while you sat a home alone on a Saturday night, or when you’ve lost a relationship. You may have even felt this way when you achieved a goal you’d set out to achieve for a long time, but found it didn’t give you as much joy as you expected.
The writer of Ecclesiastes certainly felt that way. Everything he tried to achieve in life, ended up being meaningless. Listen to how he describes his search for meaning:
“With much wisdom come much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” (1:18)
“Laughter is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” (2:2)“I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards… yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless” (2:4,11)
“The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all”. (9:11)
Certainly our world can be a cruel master. If we chase after possessions, relationships or even simply happiness, we are so easily thwarted. Investments can so easily be eaten away (don’t we know that!). Hard-earned jobs can be taken away. Marriages can break down. Children can run wild or refuse to even acknowledge us. Life can be so fragile.
All of this can cause us to despair, or perhaps to just stick our heads in the sand and try to ignore it.
Yet in the midst of a life like this, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. Jesus offers to give, not just eternal life (though what a great promise that is!!!), but a life here on earth that is filled with purpose, hope and joy. And that has certainly been my experience. The Christian is never promised that everything in their life will magically go right – ending up with the perfect house, the perfect family, the perfect car and the perfect body – but rather that by living life with Jesus, we will have the joy and deep satisfaction of knowing what life is about, of experiencing the presence and strength of God to help us through life’s many ups and downs, and the comfort of knowing that our future is secure in his hands.
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