Lostroh
12-15-2008, 05:55 PM
Well hello again everyone! Hopefully by the time you read this the weather will have warmed up a little bit. As I sit and write this it is negative five degrees outside and it’s the middle of the day! Now I don’t know about you, but anything below zero is not too comfortable for me. But everything has its time. It will be spring before we know it.
For about the past month and a half God has kept taking me back to the book of Ecclesiastes. The author of this book sets out to find for himself the meaning of life through experience and observation. He wants to personally experience the things that the world says are of value, to see if they really give meaning to his life. The author sets it all up by asking the question “What profit has a man from all his labor, in which he toils under the sun?” (Eccl. 1:3) In other words he’s asking what is the value of this life. What can a man do that has any lasting value in this life? The author sets out to experience it all. He gains as much human wisdom as he can, and it causes him more grief. (v. 1:18) He went out and drank lots of wine, built great houses, planted fruit trees, dug out pools, acquired many servants, gathered silver and gold, gave his eyes whatever they desired, and gave his heart whatever it desired. Then he looked back at all he had done and realized that it was all vanity. That is, it was all for nothing. All of that had not given any more meaning to his life. (v. 2:11)
How does all this apply to our lives? Well, the world we live in is constantly telling us to give ourselves anything we want, because it will make us happy. It is our human flesh that craves all these things, but is never satisfied with any of them. That is what is so deceiving about worldly, temporal things. We can gain everything, and still have no meaning. I guess this really hits home for me as a professional bullrider. The whole sport is totally consumed with winning buckles and gaining world titles. Everyone thinks if they can just win the world championship one time, they will be satisfied. You know, a multiple time World Champion told me just the other day that all his titles were disappointing to him. They didn’t satisfy anything in him. And it’s not just with bullriding. The vast majority of people think that if they can just make this much money, or just marry this person, or just buy that house, or drive this truck, ect, ect. Then they will be happy. But as the author of Ecclesiastes states, it is all “grasping for the wind.”
So is that it? Is there nothing in this world that gives any meaning to our lives? There is, but it cannot be found in man-made devices. After the author had experienced everything that the world said would bring happiness, he discovered that it was all pointless. He fully realized that a meaningful life with purpose and an unchanging value, is brought forth by a relationship with God, and devotion to Him. (v. 12:13-14) He also realized that it is good for the us to enjoy the fruits of our labors here on earth, but not to serve those worldly things as gods. “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him the power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God.” (v. 5:18-19) He states several times throughout the book that it is good for a man to enjoy the things that God has given him. Through his experiences he realizes that “things” do not give meaning to life…God does.
So I would encourage everyone, including myself, to continually be guarding your heart from trying to find any lasting value in the things this world has to offer. But instead enjoy what God has blessed us with, and remember that devotion to God is the only source of a truly meaningful life. Everything else is just “grasping for the wind.”
Until next time, Trust Jesus!
Kody
For about the past month and a half God has kept taking me back to the book of Ecclesiastes. The author of this book sets out to find for himself the meaning of life through experience and observation. He wants to personally experience the things that the world says are of value, to see if they really give meaning to his life. The author sets it all up by asking the question “What profit has a man from all his labor, in which he toils under the sun?” (Eccl. 1:3) In other words he’s asking what is the value of this life. What can a man do that has any lasting value in this life? The author sets out to experience it all. He gains as much human wisdom as he can, and it causes him more grief. (v. 1:18) He went out and drank lots of wine, built great houses, planted fruit trees, dug out pools, acquired many servants, gathered silver and gold, gave his eyes whatever they desired, and gave his heart whatever it desired. Then he looked back at all he had done and realized that it was all vanity. That is, it was all for nothing. All of that had not given any more meaning to his life. (v. 2:11)
How does all this apply to our lives? Well, the world we live in is constantly telling us to give ourselves anything we want, because it will make us happy. It is our human flesh that craves all these things, but is never satisfied with any of them. That is what is so deceiving about worldly, temporal things. We can gain everything, and still have no meaning. I guess this really hits home for me as a professional bullrider. The whole sport is totally consumed with winning buckles and gaining world titles. Everyone thinks if they can just win the world championship one time, they will be satisfied. You know, a multiple time World Champion told me just the other day that all his titles were disappointing to him. They didn’t satisfy anything in him. And it’s not just with bullriding. The vast majority of people think that if they can just make this much money, or just marry this person, or just buy that house, or drive this truck, ect, ect. Then they will be happy. But as the author of Ecclesiastes states, it is all “grasping for the wind.”
So is that it? Is there nothing in this world that gives any meaning to our lives? There is, but it cannot be found in man-made devices. After the author had experienced everything that the world said would bring happiness, he discovered that it was all pointless. He fully realized that a meaningful life with purpose and an unchanging value, is brought forth by a relationship with God, and devotion to Him. (v. 12:13-14) He also realized that it is good for the us to enjoy the fruits of our labors here on earth, but not to serve those worldly things as gods. “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him the power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God.” (v. 5:18-19) He states several times throughout the book that it is good for a man to enjoy the things that God has given him. Through his experiences he realizes that “things” do not give meaning to life…God does.
So I would encourage everyone, including myself, to continually be guarding your heart from trying to find any lasting value in the things this world has to offer. But instead enjoy what God has blessed us with, and remember that devotion to God is the only source of a truly meaningful life. Everything else is just “grasping for the wind.”
Until next time, Trust Jesus!
Kody