Ecclesiastes 3:13, 14: And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear Him.
The ability to enjoy life and live it properly is a gift from God that comes only when we are brought into a right relationship with Him and sincerely submit ourselves to Him as our LORD and God. He then gives us joy in what we do.
To be happy and do good while we live are worthy goals for life, but we can pursue them in the wrong way. God wants us to enjoy life. When we have the proper view of God, we discover that real pleasure is found in enjoying whatever we have as gifts from God, not in what we accumulate.
What is the purpose of life? It is that we should reverence the all-powerful God. To reverence God means to respect and stand in awe of Him because of who He is. Purpose in life starts with whom we know, not what we know or how good we are. It is impossible to fulfill your God-given purpose unless you reverence God and give Him first place in your life.
The Teacher hinted at contentment in 2:24 [A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is
from the hand of God], and was careful to say that this enjoyment of life was God’s gift. The advice of the Teacher is to seize the day in the
joy of God, Biblical faith is a call for joy, even when we live in a wicked world and under terrible stress; this is because we find true joy in the living God.
Solomon is not encouraging a pagan lifestyle, but rather the practice of enjoying God’s gifts as the fruit of one’s labor, no matter how difficult life may be. Life appears to be transitory, but whatever God does is forever. So, when we live for Him and let Him have His way, life is meaningful and manageable. Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, let’s enjoy what we do have and thank God for it. The proper attitude for us is the fear of the LORD, which is not the cringing of a slave before a cruel master but the submission of an obedient child to a loving parent (see 5:7; 7:18; 8:12, 13; 12:13). If we fear God, we need not fear anything else, for He is in control.
So, don’t merely work for money; do something you like. Appropriate pleasures are a gift of God; enjoy them. But don’t expect to discover the ultimate meaning in these things. God has intentionally created dissatisfaction in life to drive us Him. You can’t change what God has made, so stop fighting the routine, the repetition, and the extremes of life. He’s made both life and you this way, so you’ll seek Him.
Let us make it easy for ourselves, “rejoice, and enjoy the good of our labor”; as it is “the gift of God,” let us return to Him our sincere thanks and make Him the center of our joy, eat and drink to His glory, and “serve Him with joyfulness of heart, in the abundance of all things.” Forever: (and everyone knows
it, that knows anything of God.) His measures are never broken, nor is He ever put upon new counsels, but what He has purposed shall be effected, and
all the world cannot defeat nor disannul it.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Remember: the advice of the Teacher is to seize the day in the joy of God, Biblical faith is a call for joy, even when we live in a wicked world and under terrible stress; this is because we find true joy in the living God.
Blessings,
Elder Barbara
FLSB|LAB|WSB|TEBC|MHSB
