Key Verses: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” I know that 28 is young, but I still can’t believe I am that old. Life goes by oh so quickly. I know that statistically speaking I have already lived over a third of my life. It is the brevity of life that reminds me the importance of living for Christ. If one isn’t careful they will look up one day on their death bed and realize that they completely wasted their life in the pursuit of things that really don’t matter. There is also a harsh truth of what all eventually discover when they pursue worldly pleasures for a lifetime. They bring no real contentment. This is really what the entire book of Ecclesiastes is about. Solomon, who refers to himself in this book as the preacher spent many years pursuing satisfaction and contentment by exploring all the world had to offer. He looked for it in sexual pleasure, wealth, material possessions, work, friends, and partying, but he could not it any of those things. That’s why here at the end of this book he tells us what he has discovered that brings him peace and purpose. Solomon finally found contentment in keeping God’s commandments. He says that this is man’s all. This means that we were created to follow God, have fellowship with God and obey God. So only these things will bring us the satisfaction and purpose we so desperately crave. How can we obey God and follow Him? We have to fear Him. That is what Solomon reminds us of. To fear God means to fear His hand of discipline and the power that He wields. Yes we should respect God and revere Him, but just as a son fears the disciplinary hand of his loving Father, so too must we as Christians fear God and the discipline He brings upon those who wander from His way. Solomon reminds us of this truth in V.14. God brings everything to light. My prayer for myself on my 28th birthday is that God would remind me that my chief purpose, the chief end of my life is to serve Him, love Him, and obey Him. I pray that you will say this prayer with me today, but that you will do it over your own life!
