Beyond the Weekend: Making Sense out of Life
Making Sense Out of Life highlights sections of a book often considered confusing and generally unexplored—Ecclesiastes. There is a latent discomfort we all feel as life can be overwhelmingly disappointing. Ecclesiastes recognizes this meaningless to live and addresses it head-on. This series helps us find meaning in the monotony of life and gives us perspective on what God desires to do both in us and through us.
Ecclesiastes
Week 1 Verses: Ecclesiastes 1:1-10
Week 2 Verses: Ecclesiastes 4:7-12
Week 3 Verses: Ecclesiastes 2:17-24
Week 4 Verses: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Week 5 Verses: Ecclesiastes 7:1-10
Week 6 Verses: Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:14
Good Gifts
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:13
Read: Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
Listen: Ecclesiastes 3
TODAY'S MESSAGE
Ecclesiastes 3 screams at us that life has highs and lows. The 14 contrasts make this crystal clear. But in the midst of the highs and lows, the author recognizes an essential reality in the world. It isn’t just life full of highs and lows—but that God gives us gifts to enjoy. He doesn’t create people to be miserable. He creates people to enjoy him and his creation. From a stunning sunrise to a tasty tomato salsa, God’s creation provides many good gifts.
The highs and lows of life can be exhausting. We often wonder where the piece of the puzzle we are currently experiencing “fit.” We become obsessed with trying to figure out why this or that happened—or go the other way and check out.
The author of Ecclesiastes gives us another way. He reminds us God creates us to enjoy life. We aren’t God, so we don’t need to stress about why things happen. God created us for a purpose—checking out is not an option. That leaves us with enjoying a relationship with God and his good gifts.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Thank God that you don’t have to know everything but can instead enjoy him and his good gifts. Find five things in your life that are good gifts from God and thank him for them today.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
