What's It About?

Jack was a man who lived a life of great material success. He had served valiantly in World War II and, like so many of that great generation, returned home to his wife and children and became a businessman. Jack came to believe that life was a game called “Whoever dies with the most toys wins.” For him, the evidence of his value was that he drove the best and biggest car in town. If someone else had a bigger car, he would head to the dealership and get a newer, better one. It all ended quite sadly, however. One day, he left the ignition on while opening the trunk and, in a freak accident, the car slipped from park to reverse and ended his life. The very possession that characterized his life, the biggest car available, ultimately took his life. If the meaning of life is found in any of our possessions, then we are in trouble.

We all want to find meaning in our lives. The things of this world can be alluring and tempting as tangible proof that our lives have meaning. It’s something of a shock when the writer of Ecclesiastes condemns all our efforts as “vanity.” In other words, all is utterly meaningless if God is excluded. But when God is present, in place of hopelessness and death, God enables us to know the meaning of life.

So is the meaning of life about pursuing peace? Most of us do not want a life of conflict. We would rather have a life that is peaceful and serene. We want to be at peace with ourselves and others. Our culture tempts us to believe that materialism can provide us with enough wealth or gifts to bring us internal peace and even give us peace with people who don’t like us. Think about the unpopular kid in your class whose new swimming pool brought acceptance and maybe a degree of popularity. But we know that “things” we own don’t bring us enduring satisfaction or peace. And we recognize that we will never have enough to offer others to guarantee our acceptance or to be at peace with them. It’s all, as Ecclesiastes says, “vanity.”

So if life is not about pursuing peace, is it about creating a legacy for ourselves that will endure beyond our time on earth? If we live in the memories of those who come after us, is that a way to live forever? We know this is foolishness too. All the power and money in the world cannot guarantee that we will be remembered by future generations. And even if we are remembered—think about the long dead whose names are remembered today—is there anything of substance in being remembered as anything more than a name in the history books? No, trying to live a memorable life is not a goal worth pursuing either because it doesn’t provide us with any tangible benefit, and the fact that there are just as many people whose names are remembered for terrible things as there are heroes remembered for their virtues should tell us that this idea is a gamble at best.

What must we conclude then, about the meaning of life? Pursuing wealth or fame are not the route to living meaningfully, but these motivations, with God guiding them, CAN provide us with the peace we really crave in this life and can even bestow upon our lives eternal purpose. As we remember God’s First Commandment—You shall have no other God—and as we live by that command, the pursuits of money and of power or fame gain direction as they serve God’s eternal purposes instead of only serving our own ambitions. This is the key—if we seek only to serve ourselves in gaining peace through our riches or power, we will never have the peace or happiness we seek.

There will never be enough money, enough control, enough influence over others, or enough peace! We’ve all heard that our possessions end up possessing us if we put too much emphasis on worldly wealth, but it’s also true that peace and happiness will forever elude those who pursue them by worldly means. God’s peace, a peace that lasts and endures into everlasting life, consists of being satisfied with what HE has given us out of fatherly love and His deep knowledge of what is truly best for us. God desires your eternal salvation, and for some this will mean that worldly riches will be traps instead of blessings. This also means that worldly peace may be God’s plan for some, but that a life of holy struggle and humble victory in Christ will be His goal for others. But for ALL His people, God’s desire regarding money, power, and peace will be to discover and keep alive His spirit of contentment in all things at all times. Our lesson from Ecclesiastes (5:19) explains God’s plan for our contentment this way: “Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God” (v 19). THIS IS THE GIFT OF GOD! To know that: all that we have is a gift from God. To understand that all good things are gifts given by our loving God to be enjoyed and to assure us of His love for us. This peace isn’t bought with silver or gold. Rather, it is bought with something far more precious—the holy, precious blood of Jesus.

An earthly life lived in God’s peace is not tied to things that perish. You have an eternal

soul, and that eternal soul is bound to the eternal God. God has loved you and has bound your life story to that of his own Son. It is in knowing God and His goodness and grace that keep you every day and fill your life with hope, peace, and joy that last to eternity. Whether you have much or little of this world’s wealth, you have the wealth that matters in Jesus.