Sunday, January 22, 2012

What’s Your Focus?

Preached by Glen Zeidler on Jan. 15, 2012-01-22

Ecclesiastes 1,2

How do we find what is important in life?
What is life all about?
Consider the gold rushes of the 19th and 20th centuries—People rushing to find their riches. Most lost all they gained. What they sought to find seemed like chasing after the wind.
We could say they were foolish, but we are the same. We say ‘God is good’ but we want more.
What is your focus?
Life is monotonous; a meaningless action. A cycle like water, wind, sun.
Same actions year after year achieving nothing.
What gives meaning to life? Why am I here?
Solomon is looking back at his life. It was an experiment.

Knowledge and Wisdom
Highly rated today, but they still can’t give a reason for living.
Not against education, but what are you expecting from it?
We’re inundated with information, yet humanity is no better off.
William Carey was self taught, yet he translated the Bible into 8 or 9 languages.

Pleasure
If it feels good, do it.” Forget the consequences.
What pleases you now will bore you later.
You’ll keep searching for new pleasures.
A fleeting joy, not a reason for living.
Self-indulgence, alcohol, laughter.

Projects
Building projects (ch2:4-10) to leave a legacy.
The one with the most toys in the end still dies.
The arts, sexual pleasures.
Why do you work? So you can have things.

Is this the focus of your life?
It’s never enough.
It leaves us empty.
Only one Person makes our lives worth living—Jesus Christ.
Nothing else will satisfy.
Where is your focus, your fulfillment?
Externals: money, pleasure, pensions.
We can get trapped as easily as non-believers.
These things can be good in themselves, but beware of being mastered by them.
We’re just passing through.
You will leave it all to someone else.
God has put you here for a reason.
Find out what that reason is.

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