Our purpose - Living for Heaven

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 (NLT)
2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” 3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

In these verses the teacher lays down his principle, “Everything is meaningless, completely meaningless.” Then he explains in verse 3 saying “What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?” Then he follows with his proof by explaining the non-changing events of life.

 

 

There is a question I have heard many times, “What is the meaning of life?” I remember in a cartoon it was very obvious a man had struggled to reach the summit of a mountain where a wise man was sitting. As soon as the man reaches the wise man he asks, “What is the meaning of life?” to which the wise man responds, “I was sitting here wondering the same thing myself.”

In the real life movie, Pinocchio, directed by Alberto Sironi; Pinocchio happily repeats Geppetto's verdict: "I'm alive!" Then a pensive look comes over the face of the puppet-turned-boy. "What do you mean 'I'm alive'?" "What does it mean? Well, unless I'm going mad, and this isn't just a dream, it means you have a life to live," says Geppetto. "And what do you have a life for?" Pinocchio asks in return. Geppetto falls silent, unable to find an answer.

Our purpose is not always easy to understand. Jesus told us, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” So even as Solomon surmised life; is not about working endlessly just to collect possessions.

Man’s original purpose was to enjoy the world God gave him and to allow him to fellowship freely with God. But man chose sin which separated him from God and the plan God had for him. God said to man,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.  It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” Man created his troublesome life here on earth by disobeying God.

 So what are we to do? We should remember no matter what our circumstances God still wants to fellowship with us. To make our fellowship meaningful we are to repent of our sin, accept Christ as our lord and savior and to be born to a new life that we can find peace and contentment in God. You see contentment in life does not come from things, but from God. Our life purpose is to  fellowship with God. Life is not about our own wants. For one day those who have chosen God will be with Him in His heavenly kingdom. That is the life we are to be working towards here on earth. We should be learning to live as though we were living in heaven itself.