Ecclesiastes: Chapter 9:

Chapter 9: Death Comes to All:

The Shire | New Zealand

Regardless of what we do, whether we are righteous or the chief of all sinners, we can experience the utmost joys of the most sorrowful of pain. Whether we praise Him all the days of our lives or curse His name with no respect for who He is and seek only temporary satisfaction, we all die. I know that in my head I believe I have everything together and I know a lot about life - and I have gone through a lot more than most 27-year-old people - yet, I know nothing in the grand scheme of life. Only more time will give me more knowledge about life. During this time on earth that I have been given, I need to ensure that I use it to seek significance, not comfort. There are a lot of things that can be done on earth, most of them draw me towards comfort and ensure I live a life of ease. This is vanity and should not be my goal in life as a God-fearing Christian. This will leave me hollow, why should I pursue things that are insignificant? Comfort will only pull me further away from God. Now, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have nice things, it means that our perspective of things should not be the way of the world. I shouldn't be solely focused on optimizing my life all the time. Yes, it is good to ensure you are exercising good judgment when you do things, but it is silly to spend all of your time trying to create a perfect life, it won't happen. We should always be teetering on the edge of discomfort because we are giving up what God has given us and lifting up those who are less fortunate.

Enjoy Life with the One You Love:

Christians should be the best and most joyful partiers! We are saved by grace through faith alone in Christ, we should celebrate this with food, wine, and laughter. God sent His son to save us and He did, all of our sins are on the cross, let us be free and enjoy what God has done for us. (Speaking from my perspective as a man: I look forward to enjoying life alongside my wife [whenever she comes along] and truly enjoying one another and the gifts that God has uniquely given each of us. Fun, excitement, silliness, joy, laughter, and all the good things. While also holding her during the pain, sorrow, spite, tears, and any other bad things that come our way. Marriage isn't perfect, but it can be beautiful. I want to enjoy our portion together and fill each other with love, joy, and peace until God calls us home.) As Christians, our perspective on life and how we live it out should be counter-culture. We shouldn't look the same, our lives should be different, our relationships, our marriages, our careers. We should be the hardest and most honest workers in our particular field of work. Why? Because if God is who He says He is, and we are who we say we are, then we believe that He works all things together for our good (whether it is on earth or in Heaven) and we should praise Him regardless of circumstance. We should strive to work hard and glorify Him in our work. We can be an example of Christ within us simply by adhering to the rules and regulations of our jobs and working to the best of our abilities, being humble and forthright within our workplace.

Wisdom Better Than Folly:

Regardless of wealth, power, intelligence, wisdom, or any other attribute, none of us know when we will die and meet eternity. Even if you surpass all others in power and wealth you will still return to the ground. Regardless of your appearance, status, or how people see you, you are able to change people's lives. The poor wise man is far better than the foolish rich person who has influence. I wish I had more wisdom and less foolishness. I have made a lot of poor choices throughout my life, but the beauty of the gospel is that I am forgiven and when God looks at me He sees only His perfect son. The cross is enough to save me from my sin. The cross is enough to save you from your sin. The cross is enough to save everyone from their sins. This is what is so amazing about God's love for us, it is unconditional. We cannot understand the concept of unconditional love because we can't love unconditionally, we are too broken and filled with sin which makes us impure. Yet, the beauty of the gospel is that we are sinners saved by grace and Christ will return again and restore earth in the end. 

Dear Lord, I pray that you will guide my heart in the way of wisdom and that I will seek first your will in my life. I struggle with being of the world and seeing only what can benefit me and not others. I long to be restored and be new in you every day. Work in my heart and soul to draw me closer to you. I pray that you will give me the compassion to see the hurt in others and give me the guidance to restore them. Amen. 

All images © 2015 - 2021 Jordan Tackett