How do you complete a sentence like that? There are many ways for it I guess. It depends on the person you’re asking, and the time you’re asking. I often catch myself saying, “There’s nothing better than...” – what results is a state within my mind that says effectively, ‘that’s ridiculous... that thing you just referred to as the supreme thing is not it.’ “It” cannot really be put succinctly into words, can it?
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I have written about the biblical character Qoheleth before; in fact, this guy was the most unlikely to have ‘landed’ in the Holy book. I mean, his message was illustrated most cogently by the word “meaningless”. How much more ‘unholy’ could you get than that? Meaninglessness and God have nothing in common, do they? I’m not so sure.
I have written about the biblical character Qoheleth before; in fact, this guy was the most unlikely to have ‘landed’ in the Holy book. I mean, his message was illustrated most cogently by the word “meaningless”. How much more ‘unholy’ could you get than that? Meaninglessness and God have nothing in common, do they? I’m not so sure.
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God and meaninglessness: I could almost be hanged, drawn and quartered for making such an association! Indeed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries any man found guilty of high treason in England was dealt with this way; women were burned at the stake. It just so happens that God and meaninglessness have a fair bit in common, for without God, life is meaningless.
God and meaninglessness: I could almost be hanged, drawn and quartered for making such an association! Indeed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries any man found guilty of high treason in England was dealt with this way; women were burned at the stake. It just so happens that God and meaninglessness have a fair bit in common, for without God, life is meaningless.
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Life without God means life without real, lasting hope. Without God, life after death for instance is meaningless, pointless, and downright impossible! What reason would there be for the spirit to remain alive? What difference does it make? Perhaps that isn’t relevant to the present debate; perhaps there is nothing better than to do the opposite, i.e. to seize the day?
Life without God means life without real, lasting hope. Without God, life after death for instance is meaningless, pointless, and downright impossible! What reason would there be for the spirit to remain alive? What difference does it make? Perhaps that isn’t relevant to the present debate; perhaps there is nothing better than to do the opposite, i.e. to seize the day?
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Qoheleth states succinctly that: “to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy.”[1] It’s about receipt.[2] There is nothing better than receiving; from God. Being able to comprehend life as a brilliant mystery created by an inscrutable God is about receiving the divine revelation of his spiritual wisdom and grace. There is nothing anyone can do in order to receive God. He brings us to that place. Our eyes and hearts are merely opened to see his resplendent gifts of life and his nature (way) no less. Even though life seems meaningless, we “must look to enjoy life as the opportunities present themselves.”[3] And God grants this enjoyment to those who follow him.
Qoheleth states succinctly that: “to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy.”[1] It’s about receipt.[2] There is nothing better than receiving; from God. Being able to comprehend life as a brilliant mystery created by an inscrutable God is about receiving the divine revelation of his spiritual wisdom and grace. There is nothing anyone can do in order to receive God. He brings us to that place. Our eyes and hearts are merely opened to see his resplendent gifts of life and his nature (way) no less. Even though life seems meaningless, we “must look to enjoy life as the opportunities present themselves.”[3] And God grants this enjoyment to those who follow him.
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Hope says a lot about life. For who has suffered greatly and gotten through the ordeal without hope; hope intuits meaningfulness. It’s by “coming to terms with absurdity [we’re] able to discern the sublime within the mundane and the glory within the ordinary.”[4] Simply to know a transient joy is to know the goodness and the satisfaction of work.
Hope says a lot about life. For who has suffered greatly and gotten through the ordeal without hope; hope intuits meaningfulness. It’s by “coming to terms with absurdity [we’re] able to discern the sublime within the mundane and the glory within the ordinary.”[4] Simply to know a transient joy is to know the goodness and the satisfaction of work.
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Enjoy what you have received and be thankful seems to be the message.
Enjoy what you have received and be thankful seems to be the message.
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Having hope and being able to enjoy the day are both great and simple blessings. There is nothing better than knowing God and living Carpe Diem! God makes all things work when we approach life with diligent enthusiasm.
Having hope and being able to enjoy the day are both great and simple blessings. There is nothing better than knowing God and living Carpe Diem! God makes all things work when we approach life with diligent enthusiasm.
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© Copyright 2008, Steven John Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
© Copyright 2008, Steven John Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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[1] Ecclesiastes 2:26a (New Revised Standard Version).
[2] Brown, W.P., Ecclesiastes: Interpretation series, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: John Knox Press, 2000), p. 38.
[3] Longman, T. III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998), p. 106.
[4] Brown, W.P., Op Cit, p. 39.
[1] Ecclesiastes 2:26a (New Revised Standard Version).
[2] Brown, W.P., Ecclesiastes: Interpretation series, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: John Knox Press, 2000), p. 38.
[3] Longman, T. III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998), p. 106.
[4] Brown, W.P., Op Cit, p. 39.
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