Live, Work, Die

You know what's great about Ecclesiastes? You get burned every time you read it.

Futility of Life. BAM. Burnage. Serious Burnage.

Often times in my young state, I go into life with the "let's just have fun" mindset. There's a recent song by a popular singing group (I get it stuck in my head every time I hear it) that basically glorifies puh-puh-puh-partying "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Saturday and Sunday."

On the one hand, I'm not against fun. Everyone who knows me, knows I love to laugh and have a good time. On the other hand, it's ridiculous (Or the old school term: Foolishness) to assume that life is all about living it up.

Why? For starters, GOD should be the numero uno reason we live, eat, breathe, sleep, etc. He is our maker, our wonderfully powerful, sovereign, holy, perfect God. We are called to be "...perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt 5:48 NASB) We live our lives to worship and serve our Lord God.

Another reason is that life is futile. Which brings me back to Ecclesiastes...

¹I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility.

²I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

³I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.

(Ecc 2:1-3 NASB, emphasis added by moi :-))

So life is basically pointless. I mean you live for a little while. Have some good times. Have some bad times. Then you die.

Not really. Not at all. Life is only pointless if you live for yourself, possessions, the "fun god," or for anything other than God.

However, living FOR God. Now that's something totally worthwhile. We'll still kick the bucket someday (if not raptured), but life has so much more meaning living for the infinitely better.

Let me restate, it is fine to have a good time. There are many, many times in life when you'll do something stupid and laugh your guts out, live less seriously, enjoy your youth, enjoy the fact that you are not a youth, or have a good time with your home fries. God and fun are NOT mutually exclusive. However, our central focus is not to be "What can bring me the most fun?" but, "What can bring God the most honor?"

Props to biblegateway for saving the day once again...

and to my dear ole pops for coining the term the "fun god"