By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor
One of the favorite board games I used to play with my kids when they were growing up was “The Game of Life.” Maybe you’ve played it as well. This game has been around for decades and the makers of “Life” continue to update the game to reflect the changes to our culture. Some of the things that never change though are the very basics of the game – like getting an education, deciding on a vocation, obtaining an annual salary, getting married, having kids, and trying to win by being the first to reach your mansion with the most money. It kind of sounds like real life, doesn’t it?
I remember the time in my life when I began asking how I should be pursuing these kinds of things as a Christian. How should I play the game of life? What kind of vocation should I go after? How many kids should we have? How much money do I need to live on? Where will I live and what kind of house will I have? I’m sure I’m not alone in asking these kinds of questions and I can’t help but believe that as a Christian, I would answer them differently than if I weren’t a Christian.
How should “The Game of Life” be played? That’s a good and important question. Starting May 1, we are going to look at the writings of a man who looked back on his life and reflected about what was meaningful and what was meaningless.
We are going to study the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes and most people believe this book was written by Solomon, the son of David, King over Jerusalem. You will notice in verse one it says, “These are the words of the Teacher…” The Hebrew word there for Teacher is qoheleth. It’s the word for a man who addresses an assembly. The corresponding word in Greek is the word ekklesiatic, and that’s where the book of Ecclesiastes gets its name.
Some people think that Ecclesiastes is about the meaninglessness of human life, but this perspective is not quite right. Ecclesiastes is really about the meaninglessness of life without God. And because the writer never gives up his belief in God, his ultimate purpose is to show us how meaningful life can be when we see things from God’s perspective. His message is not that nothing matters, but that everything matters, and the more we study Ecclesiastes, the better we will understand why.
So as we start this journey through the book of Ecclesiastes, we will learn from the wisest and richest man who ever lived. I look forward to learning with you about God’s perspective on “The Game of Life.”
One of the favorite board games I used to play with my kids when they were growing up was “The Game of Life.” Maybe you’ve played it as well. This game has been around for decades and the makers of “Life” continue to update the game to reflect the changes to our culture. Some of the things that never change though are the very basics of the game – like getting an education, deciding on a vocation, obtaining an annual salary, getting married, having kids, and trying to win by being the first to reach your mansion with the most money. It kind of sounds like real life, doesn’t it?
I remember the time in my life when I began asking how I should be pursuing these kinds of things as a Christian. How should I play the game of life? What kind of vocation should I go after? How many kids should we have? How much money do I need to live on? Where will I live and what kind of house will I have? I’m sure I’m not alone in asking these kinds of questions and I can’t help but believe that as a Christian, I would answer them differently than if I weren’t a Christian.
How should “The Game of Life” be played? That’s a good and important question. Starting May 1, we are going to look at the writings of a man who looked back on his life and reflected about what was meaningful and what was meaningless.
We are going to study the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes and most people believe this book was written by Solomon, the son of David, King over Jerusalem. You will notice in verse one it says, “These are the words of the Teacher…” The Hebrew word there for Teacher is qoheleth. It’s the word for a man who addresses an assembly. The corresponding word in Greek is the word ekklesiatic, and that’s where the book of Ecclesiastes gets its name.
Some people think that Ecclesiastes is about the meaninglessness of human life, but this perspective is not quite right. Ecclesiastes is really about the meaninglessness of life without God. And because the writer never gives up his belief in God, his ultimate purpose is to show us how meaningful life can be when we see things from God’s perspective. His message is not that nothing matters, but that everything matters, and the more we study Ecclesiastes, the better we will understand why.
So as we start this journey through the book of Ecclesiastes, we will learn from the wisest and richest man who ever lived. I look forward to learning with you about God’s perspective on “The Game of Life.”
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