He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3: 11 [ESV] I spoke in my last blog about environmentalism. Of course, as stewards of God’s earthly creation, we should be taking care of the environment around us. But that is not the only thing (or the main thing) that attracts people to the environmental movement. One of the draws to this cause for many people is their desire to be part of something long-lasting, something bigger than themselves. For some, the drive to make their life count and leave a lasting legacy is one of their strongest internal motivators. What many do not realize is that this motivation comes from God and is intended to be directed toward His Kingdom. After opening the third chapter of Ecclesiastes with the 8 verses reminding us there is a time to be born and a time to die and a time to plant and a time to harvest, the wise king Solomon pens for us the monumental verse 11. Those first 8 verses remind us that while we manage some things in our individual lives, God is the one in control of the big picture. Verse 11 then tells us that all these high-level things God controls (human life, the changing of the seasons, etc.) are beautiful and that God has even put this sense of bigger, more important things – eternity even – into the heart of man. Of course, we can’t see the big picture from start to finish the way the Lord can but we understand that we can still play an eternal role through the opportunities He opens up for us to serve Him in His earthly Kingdom, the church. Do you long to be a part of something bigger than yourself? Do you want to leave a legacy that outlasts your physical life? That desire comes from God Himself and you cannot successfully and completely fulfill that desire, fill the hole left by that longing, unless you are doing it in conjunction with God and His church. Being or becoming active in God’s work is the only way to give your life that ultimate meaning. Andy’s book, Clear Vision: How The Bible Teaches Us To View The World, can be purchased here.
