That Ennobling Realization
Book Club | Eat, Drink & Be Merry: Chapter 3
Hello, and welcome to week 3 of our Book Club.
Life is short.
Life is Good.
But we only get one run at life in this world—one opportunity to live it with wisdom and happiness in God.
We, and our life here, have immense potential for Beauty and Goodness beyond our wildest dreams, with God.
But, “we can blow our chance” (p. 35).
Rather than moving through life with intention—expanding the Garden, enjoying gifts, multiplying Image bearers, joyfully enduring suffering—we can be moved through life in apathy.
Failure is a very real possibility. A terrifying possibility. A possibility that has haunted humanity forever. We have always been searching for the good life—a life well lived, a life full of meaning, a life where our purpose is known and fulfilled.
Turns out, this isn’t a very easy life to find. World religions, philosophy, science, you, and me have been developing theories for millennia. Some of the greeks came close, but you can only get so far through mere observation.
We need the answer revealed.
We need someone higher and outside of us—Someone who knows our purpose and how we can meaningfully fulfill it in the most soul-satisfying way. This is the longing of the human heart.
But without this Someone to reveal the Truth about ourselves and the good life, we may “come to our latter years burned-out and fed up.” (p. 39)
To prevent that terrifying tragedy, Someone has taken the initiative—opened our eyes and offered to us an answer, the answer. Because:
“We don’t intuitively track with him. We have to learn new ways of thinking. So God gave us Ecclesiastes to convince us that we really can walk each day in his ‘newness of life’ (Romans 6:4).” (p. 37)
The good life is possible, your destiny even if you are a Christian. But it isn’t something we have to wait for perfection to start living. We can begin now to embrace the good life God has revealed to us in His word.
Part of that good life, God says, is to “let your heart cheer you.”
Allow your inner self to believe the Word of God, to trust what He has said is true. When life manipulates you into apathy and cynicism, let your heart cheer you with the Truth that life is Good and worth enjoying even in suffering and want.
One of the ways you are to let your heart cheer you is in this:
“He has a purpose for you, a calling for you to fulfill. It means your foundational, God-created you—your personality, your body, your abilities, your individuality—the you God created is not a problem but a strategy.” (p. 43)
God created you and me with an intention in mind. He made us in His image and likeness. This means we are to reflect His character and nature, displaying His attributes in the world and bringing Him glory as His likeness is made manifest to all.
This is the broad, general purpose for Humanity. I could go on forever about it—if you’d like to, reach out and we can talk more about it.
But that’s not what Ray’s talking about here. He is talking about the narrow, specific purpose given to each human being—which is their unique manner of fulfilling the broader human purpose of imaging God.
How exciting to know that God created you, created me, with particular gifts to accomplish particular good works in His manifold, glory-emanating plan for the cosmos.
We have the privilege of embarking on the adventure of discovering that particular purpose, and joyfully embracing it in faith. But discover it, we must. The path isn’t always as visible as we’d like it to be, but it is straight and narrow and leads to life—and we have this unbelievably comforting promise from God in James: “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting”
Believe that God created you with intention, and a purpose in mind.
Believe that to fulfill that purpose is to embrace the good life your heart longs for.
Believe that when you aren’t sure of what that particular purpose is, God is only waiting for you to ask Him to show you.
“Let your heart cheer you with that ennobling realization.” (p.44)
Lets hear from you!
Did Ray’s interpretation of this part of Ecclesiastes 11:9 align with what you thought it meant?
How might letting your heart cheer you change the way you’re living right now?
What is your relationship the possibility of coming to the end of your life “burned-out and fed up”? Do you feel confident in God to lead you in the path of joyful wisdom?
Share in the comments, and engage with the thoughts of others!
See you next Saturday (6/27) for Chapter Four!
