“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) So opens Ecclesiastes, one of the Bible’s five wisdom books. This pessimistic view of life is amplified by 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who wrote that “the life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”
Current world events appear to support these viewpoints. The daily news is often less than encouraging and can even be downright terrifying. All around is an overwhelming suggestion that something has gone wrong with God’s creation. And this is not a modern phenomenon. The ancient Israelites endured bondage and slavery in Egypt for 400 years. In Bible times, the Jews suffered cruel Roman oppression. Jesus acknowledged that there is a thief in this world who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy;” yet He also declared that He came “that [we] may have life, and that [we] may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).
Praise God that hopelessness is not the final answer! But in order to experience the abundant life Jesus offers, we must learn to take hold of it. And that is one lesson which can take a lifetime to master. Hopefully, it won’t take us quite that long! 🙂 Come journey with me in the pursuit of keys to life abundant, or life as God intends for us to experience.
Be blessed,
R
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Wordzpread 