Mon, Feb 27th - 8:13AM
TiReD's OuT!
Have you ever think this life just sucks? When you feel so tired trying just to survive this life on Earth. Study, study and more study or work, work and more work? That's so crazy, so routine this life is. Well, we are not alone. The Preacher in Ecclesiates expressed just what you are feeling:
" 'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.'
What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.
The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.
All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.
All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.
There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow."
(Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 - NIV)
If I could para-phrase, it would be:
Life is so full of futility, that it is frustating working for human-orientated gains. Life is so short, routine and spins around in circles that you can be fully satisfied. History will repeat itself and there is nothing new in terms of experience or lesson learnt. People will eventually forget about us and our contributions.
Probably, I can relate this to James' accusation of the rich:
"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days." (James 5:1-3)
What does these two passage have in common? It's futility working for earthy gains.
When my friend asked me more about the Purpose Driven Life, I told him that rich man will die a sad man. Why? Because he will die unsatisfied of his life. The higher man goes, the more he will want. That's human instinct. I guess history can testify my statement from the suicide cases of many famous and powerful men.
We will come to this earth empty-handed and will also leave this world empty-handed. So why work for things that will perish in the end? That's futility, so meaningless, as the Preacher described.
But Why God still want us to go through such a life? One of my Bible Study teachers told us of a poem of God pouring His blessings with a cup, namely of strength, of wisdom onto man. However, He stops short of pouring His blessing of rest onto the latter. You may wonder why. God does not want man to rest because he will take God's other blessings for granted and will live for the gifts of God and not for God.
Then comes God's lifeline:
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
Eternal treasures are what we are supposed to store. Jesus emphasized:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
Do God's purposes in our life with the gifts you have (God wants us to do what we can do best for Him), and we will feel immese joy, as our pleased Master will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:23)
How about some earthy things like earning money for survival, study etc? Yes, we still need them. If we feel tired doing them, do them for God.
"For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God." (Paul in Galatians 2:19)
Still feeling tired? How about Jesus' promise to us: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)? We still got Jesus and the Holy Spirit to lean on... Praise the Lord!
Be happy because we have done God's Will and store up eternal treasure. No longer a tiring life, what says you?
"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:26-27)
Desmond signing off @ 2140 hrs
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