"All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after." Ecclesiastes 1:8-11 (NKJ)
There of course was something new that came long after Solomon's days, but it was only new because it was the fruition of a longstanding plan that God set it into motion Himself. He made restitution to justice Himself through Christ Jesus - paying the bloody price for the sins of mankind so that man would have the opportunity to be reconciled to Himself. And man thereby having the opportunity to once again walk in close relationship with God as Adam and Eve did before they allowed sin to enter creation. This was man's purpose for having life from the beginning - to relate to God.
Some seem to believe that having enough money, attention, possessions or a more impressive title among men in this life will bring them wholeness and contentment. Some seem to believe that they'll find fulfillment in the latest trend, social cause or in gaining the highest level of social stature. Some believe that living for the moment - fulfilling their every whim will satisfy their most inner gnawing urge...
...And yet they can't simply believe the truth and accept the evidence of human history that will testify that these things fail to truly complete us or to bring true, lasting contentment - or that investment in those things is void except for their own momentary pleasure - or "lusts" as scripture might bear out.
"And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind." Ecclesiastes 1:13-14 (NKJ)
Some people can't bring themselves to separate themselves from the widely accepted and yet constantly changing social norms and intellect of the day long enough to earnestly and honestly consider truths that have withstood thousands of years of mankind's existence to prove themselves constantly true and completing. There is something fully and faithfully satisfying to that inner most, constantly driving urge to find lasting satisfaction and true, lasting completeness. Some can't find the courage to be willing to buck the trends of mankind's self importance, human intellect and self taught truths - to have the humility to stand apart from them long enough to find the everlasting and unchanging truth that exists between the words "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) and "He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Revelation 22:20-21), ... and dare to accept and truly believe them.
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJ)
Unfortunately there are some who will never find their life's purpose, or true healing, forgiveness, or lasting joy, because they're unwilling to believe the truth that must first be honestly believed in order to be seen and to allow it to bear fruit in their lives - to simply trust God, believing Him first and foremost. The world that must see in order to believe will likely never see what must be believed in order to be seen - The Truth of what exists as God sovereignly ordained it. Scholars, pundits, self appointed wise men and others may choose to disagree, but they're also all subject to God's sovereignty and truth. Their denials won't withstand Him. They can continue to trust their own thinking and intellect until they draw last breath, or the Lord returns -which ever comes first, but they'll know it beyond any doubt in the end if they continue to defy God and remain unrepentant. Their own intellectual human prowess and self confirmed wisdom may well convict them to punishment eternally for their insolence and foolish rebellion, but it's their choice - not God's.
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11 (NKJ)
The door or "gate" to finding what we really truly want at our core - with all other pretense and desire put aside, requires us to go back to the beginning - stripping away and setting aside everything else we've been taught by the world for the moment to set right a very basic cornerstone. It involves going back to Genesis chapter one, verse one - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". Right there, you and I have the choice to begin to accept it - to believe God from then on, or to potentially choose to void our own purpose. In fact, the meaning of life that many claim to be looking for is equal to our purpose - the determination of which was made without our consultation or choice. It was determined by the God who then created us and everything in His original creation. The truth is that we have never been our own masters. We might have thought so, but if that's true of us then we've created our own cancerous human delusion. To deny the purpose that The Sovereign God Of The Universe has given us is our choice, but in so doing we would find our self committed to the same course and end as satan who didn't believe God either and is now just moving, kicking and screaming, through time toward his own horrific reward having denied himself the promised reward and completeness that he might have had if he had chosen to submit to God's authority...
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" Numbers 23:19 (NKJ)
There are some who stand at the gate of that narrow path that leads to the life that God actually intends for us, but then foolishly begin to reason with themselves over what they can "intelligently" believe from the bible - what to accept and what to reject. The truth is that if one rejects any part of what God has dictated to mankind, he has little reason to accept any part because he's likely already called God a liar by doing so. It would lead one to ask whether the wisdom of any man could be greater than God's to decide what's true and what's not? Man's arrogance and insolence seem to know no limits at times as they pave the path to their own chosen, eternal doom.
"Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”" John 14:5-7 (NKJ)
"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." 1 John 5:9-13 (NKJ)
Is this decaying life, encased temporarily in flesh, greater than what God has promised to those who truly love Him? Are all of the perishing material possessions, wealth, human intellect, titles and lusts of this momentary life in all of eternity worth forfeiting eternal life with God. By rejecting Him many are choosing for themselves the promised suffering and damnation promised as the reward for rebellion against Him.
"But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJ)
That narrow, lonely looking gate of submission to God, and all that He requires of us, camouflages from the eyes of the unbeliever the full wealth of all of the riches of relationship with God. Only fools look past it to take the wider path that leads to destruction and disregard their own end while they still have time to repent.
There is nothing wrong with having wealth or possessions as God allows, but those things should never rise above or in any way equal to God in our lives or in our consideration of what He's said, in our estimation of their priority or value. It serves us well to consider even whether any good thing taken in excess becomes a sin to us as well. Nothing should ever be given a status equal to or above that of the God who created and ultimately rules over heaven, earth, and so obviously us!. Mankind's continual desecration of his own purpose and so much of what God in His sovereign authority has declared to be holy, has only one final end and that by every man's own choice if he does not repent and turn away from his evil thoughts and ways to submit to the God who created him. There's still time.
"Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”" Hebrews 3:7-15 (NKJ)
And yet, ... there are those who do.
As King Solomon, one of the wisest, if not the wisest to have ever lived, said in conclusion of his exhaustive examination of this life under the sun...
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing,
whether good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NKJ)
It seems that much of mankind cannot help himself from choosing to continue to suffer in futility ... But you don't have to.
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 (NKJ)
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it." Deuteronomy 10:12-14 (NKJ)
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