The Purpose Of Life

Have you ever pondered the meaning of life? I'm sure most of us have at one point or another. Some have even made that the purpose of their lives. Philosophers have been trying to figure it out since the beginning of time. The wisest man who ever lived tried, too, but all he did was destroy himself and lose all hope.

"Absolutely pointless!" says the preacher. "Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless." What does a man get for all the hard work he's doing under the sun? Ecclesiastes 1:2-3

I used my wisdom to study, search, and explore everything done under the sun. It's a sorry task that God has given people to weary themselves with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun. It's all pointless, like trying to catch the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:13-14

What does a man get for all his work and striving with which he wearies himself under the sun? All his life is painful, and his work is troublesome. Even at night his mind can't rest. This is also pointless. Ecclesiastes 2:22-23

Again I thought of all the people who are oppressed under the sun; there are the tears of the oppressed with no one to comfort them. I congratulate the dead who are already dead rather than the living who are still alive. But better off than both of them is one who hasn't yet existed and hasn't seen the evil that is done under the sun. Ecclesiastes 4:1-3

Talk about hopeless. He says it's better to have never been born than to have see this world. Solomon thought to use the wisdom that God gave him to puzzle out the meaning of life rather than honoring the One who gave it to him in the first place.

Despite all his wisdom, his knowledge, he got the question wrong. "What is the meaning of life?" should be replaced by "What is the purpose of my life?" It seems the same, but in reality, it's different. Our purpose should be to be pleasing to our Creator. Rather than looking for existential meaning, we should be giving our lives that meaning by serving our God. It's a fundamental difference that completely changes the game. Many people lead meaningless lives, searching for something to give them purpose. Don't be one of them.

Sam