Does life ever seem to be a snow globe filled with submarine mines being shaken up by a drunk toddler? May that’s just me… And maybe I’ve already told you more about me than I should. Oh well. In Ecclesiastes 7:1 - 13 Solomon points out that this picture is not too far off, except that God is the one who has made the straight things crooked. So, that is the point of trying to live out a good purpose in your life? Well, Solomon’s answer there is that there still is a point. In other words, even though this passage seems to point to absurdity and hihilism as the only answer, there is a true answer tat is the source and foundation for the true meaning of life - and i’ts worth finding and holding onto. 

Jesus told the disciples that it is not what goes into ones mouth that makes one dirty, but what comes out of the mouth. This Psalm gives us a master class on cursing and shows us just how far the heart that seeks to not bless will go. It stands as a warning to us to watch our hearts, and a reminder of the blessing that we have received from the mouth of God. Let us walk in that same manner.

Living in the present requires that we maintain an eternal perspective. If we do not - if instead we live with our eyes focus on the here and now, then we will live a life doomed to meaninglessness and frustration. In Ecclesiastes 6:10 - 12 the preacher reminds us  of the need and value of rightly evaluating the length of our life and the depth of our impact so that we spend our energy and time in a fruitful and productive endeavor. 

When we recognize that without God we cannot win, we can overlook the basic question of, “Wait, has God actually come with us?” If God is not with us, why not. Are we trusting in our own plans and forfeiting the work that God is performing on our behalf? God is a God of victory who saves us out of His greatness so that our praise would rightly flow back out towards Him. 

Work work work work work. No matter how much we labor our appetites will never be satisfied. So, the life spent on working to satiate our desires is a life that will be constantly unsatisfied and depressing and empty. God has given us good things to enjoy now in the middle of relationships as we enjoy the labor of our hands for our good and for the good of others. God, in His kindness, has blessed us with the call to live in the present and to look to Him for our future.

When the Redeemed of the Lord say so, they are saying that the steadfast love of God is seen in the salvation that we have experienced in spite of our stumbling in sin. We are invited to reflect on the cycle of our rejection of God, our falling into sorrow, an then our calling to God and His hearing and saving us. 

How do you find meaning in the midst of a never-ending treadmill life? We strive to do well and share life in so many good ways, yet, even in what is being shared, everything is ultimately fleeting and soon to pass away. This drives us to pursue the question, is my life worth any value? Another way to ask this is to ask how many people will miss us when we’re gone. Yet this will often lead to depression, and to missing the relationships around us, and more importantly, relationship with God that is the good that gives life value. 

The goodness of God can be a difficult concept to define. In this passage the Psalmist makes it abundantly clear that the goodness of God is very clearly defined by the depth, wretchedness and constancy of our sin. This passage calls us to look back on our lack of faithfulness and to respond out of overwhelming gratitude to God’s steadfast love.

He who dies - still dies. This is the message that the Preacher is giving here in Ecclesiastes 5:13 - 20. The work that we do, and the labor that we avoid are both equally trying to lasso the clouds. And when we are done, regardless of how much success we have attained, the grave welcomes us all with open arms. The Preacher puts this warning in front of us as he continues to help us consider, why are we here? 

There is a particular beauty and wonder in reflecting on our history. The trials that we have faced and the trails that we have almost wandered off from, and even more, the gracious and miraculous protection that God has provided. In Psalm 106 we are invited into an overwhelming retrospective of the life of the children of Israel. God walk us through our shared history here so that we can better see and re-tell His story.