contentment in Christ

All things are full of weariness;

a man cannot utter it;

the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

nor the ear filled with hearing.

Ecclesiastes 1:8

I am always appreciative of the insights from the book of Ecclesiastes. The way in which Solomon directly approaches the insights about life, with the harsh light of his sometimes jaded observations, pulls me into a very real appreciation for the regenerative work of the gospel. From certain worldly points of view, this life is so imperfect and disappointing. If we did not have God’s Word, His grace, His Holy Spirit and were left only with “life under the sun”, we would be stuck in the misery cycle that Ecclesiastes so starkly, repeatedly, and efficiently points out to us.

Life has a hard, bitter edge. It is tough. We work hard to enjoy a few things, but wind up wearied in our work. And the search for joy beyond our work adds to the weariness. As an end in itself, without God in the picture, life can become a senseless, exhaustive, unsatisying cycle of sameness. We may try to numb that dull pain with new experiences, but the exhilaration is brief and ultimately we cannot see or hear enough with our senses to keep our lack of satisfaction at bay. Without Jesus, our incompleteness keeps gnawing at our souls, never finding relief. It keeps Ambien at the top of pharmaceutical sales.

But I know in this: in the saving life of Christ, I am born again! And in the worship of my Savior and Lord, I am always filled with new joy. In His grace and mercy I am forgiven and made new, and every life joy and experience finds true purpose, not as an ends in itself, but in fulfillment in Christ! And with the glory of God in Jesus as the focus, my joy is overflowing. I am most satisfied when I seek my life’s satisfaction in Jesus! All that my eyes now see and my ears now hear and my hands now touch are filled with the pleasures of contentment in Christ!