PPic: Oberon Golf Course - Links Pro Am 2006

PGA Chaplain Bible Studies

Study 2: 02/04/2009

Ecclesiastes Ch 1:1-11

Getting Caught in a Rut.

Meaningless! Meaningless! says the teacher. Utter meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What does a man gain from all his labour at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun set; and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. (Ecclesiastes Ch 1: verses 3 to 8a NIV)

I recall vividly the way I described my life at 19 years before I came to know Jesus Christ; round and round in circles going nowhere. My life comprised of work as a roof fixer, playing sport like rugby league and cricket and going to the pub with my mates. I couldn’t find a girl friend at this time. I recall saying to myself; there must be more to life than this?

No matter whom we follow or where we come from or how much we have; there are moments in our life when it becomes monotonous. Life becomes boring as we go through the same routines every day. We become tired and life loses its magic.
The book of Ecclesiastes opens with a sombre note, a negative view of life that takes us by surprise. Our author though unknown, is a king of the people of God. Believers in God are not used to such negative sentiments preferring to see purpose, order and beauty in the world. Like a glass half full or empty it depends upon how you look at life.
He views life as utter meaningless and futility. He gives examples as he views various aspects of life and the world he observes. The sun rises, sets and rises again, the wind blows around in circles, generations come and go and streams flowing to the sea, but the sea never gets full. One day you make a gain, the next it is taken away from you.
I think it is true that for all of us there are times when life is a struggle, when we take the negative option. I get frustrated in the church and in the Links ministry sometimes wondering if I ever make an impact for God in people’s lives.

Unlike the past and the sentiments of our author, we do live in a world of new discoveries almost every day, especially in the technological age. But does it really make life better? There is ample evidence that with all our new discoveries and long life, people are less happy.

The book of Ecclesiastes will give us some more insight into a more positive view of life later, but history shows that Jesus came to bring light out of darkness, to bring hope out of a meaningless existence. Jesus said; “I have come to bring life, life in all its fullness” (see John Chapter 10: verse 10). However, even for the believers in Jesus, we have times when life seems to lack meaning, but then God works all things according to his purpose.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, when we see things dimly, let the light of Jesus help us through. Amen.

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