What is life all about? The pursuit of ease and happiness? The acquisition of wealth and material possessions? Filling every hour with activity and motion? Doing good deeds and attending church services?  I guess, if we asked people what life was all about we’d get quite a variety of answers.  Think for a moment – how would you answer?

Who determines what life is all about? Who determines what is important? Who determines what is cool or in style? Who determines what has value and meaning? If we allow the culture to set the pace for us, to shape our value system, to define life for us, then we will set ourselves up for constant disappointment.  About the time we think we’re heading the right direction, they change the goal line on us!  What it takes to have a full and meaningful life shifts like the dunes of the Sahara. 

An athlete who had reached the pinnacle of his sport was once asked what he wished someone would have told him when he first started playing his sport. He replied, “I wish that someone would have told me that when you reach the top, there’s nothing there.”

Another wise man discovered that truth many years prior.  His name was Solomon – perhaps you remember him.  He was the son of David, the King of Israel, and endowed by God with great wisdom and wealth.  If any man could figure out what life was all about, it should be him – and he tried pretty much everything available.  So what was his conclusion after trying money, stuff, power, wine, women, and song?  Well in his own words:  “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.  “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

As we consider what life is really all about, it might be best to consult the Giver of life for that answer.  Here is a least a little bit of what He says:

 Life is short, and because life is short we cannot count on tomorrow.

“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.  Each man’s life is but a breath.” (Psalm 39:4-5)

 Life matters, and because it matters we must use each day wisely.

We cannot control the length of our days, but we do exert a lot of influence on how those days are used.  “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

 Life is to flow outward and upward and not simply inward, and because of this we need to serve others and share Jesus.

When Jesus was asked the most important command, He gave us two that are so tied together that they cannot be separated.  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

 Life is eternal.  Because it is eternal, we need to decide what we will do with Jesus.  Now, wait a minute … didn’t we just say that life is short?  Yes, we did.  So, let me explain.

God created man to live forever physically and spiritually, but because mankind willfully chose rebellion rather than relationship, sin rather than communion with God, mankind fell.  Sin brought with it a terrible price – spiritual and physical death – separation from perfect communion with God.  And the worst part is that we are helpless to fix what we broke … so God stepped in.  God so loved fallen, sinful, rebellious, lost mankind, that He sent His Son to bring us life!

The Bible says of Jesus, In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

Jesus says of Himself, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Sin brought separation and death, but Jesus came to reverse the curse!  Jesus proclaimed:  “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”  (John 11:25-26)

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

When we rediscover life, we are not talking about rediscovering how much we enjoy lounging on the beach carefree and beyond the reach of cell service.  When we rediscover life, we need to hear what God says about it.

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2:1-20, NLT

You may be disappointed that the box doesn’t contain the gift you hoped for.  You may be disappointed that the one who received your gift didn’t seem to love it as much as you thought he or she would.  Our gift giving and receiving can be disappointing, but God gave us a gift that will satisfy us for eternity – JESUS.

I was recently reading an article by Shawanda Greene at Bible Money Matters. In it she listed 5 less conventional ways to celebrate Christmas. I have adapted them to fit our setting:

1. Drop off items you’re no longer using at the Greene County Christian Outreach Thrift Store, the Habitat for Humanity store, or the local Goodwill. It won’t cost you anything to give away gently used (or unused) bread makers, musical instruments, exercise equipment, or whatever else a momentary state of delusion led you to purchase. If you haven’t used it or sold it in all these years, it’s highly unlikely you ever will. Christian Outreach sells the items at a rock-bottom price and the proceeds go toward meeting the needs of those of the p

“I wish we didn’t talk so much about money,” is a comment I have often heard while working with churches to raise funds for their important purposes. I understand the sentiment but hold an opposing viewpoint. In fact, I hope my church always needs money. Here is why.

My son, Lance, was born before it became acceptable for the father to be present in the delivery room. (A fact for which I have always been grateful!) I waited in the hallway just outside the delivery room. At precisely 4:13 p.m., I heard the unmistakable cry of a newborn baby, Lance’s first sound. The nurse emerged with a smile and said, “You have a baby boy.” Only a new father can know the wonder of those words!

The wonderful glow of fatherhood was soon dimmed, however, when I was asked to visit the business office of the hospital. They wanted me to pay for Lance! In fact, it seemed to me that my child might be held hostage until the hospital bill was settled.
I wrote the check paying all the expenses in full, freed my family, and we made our escape. That check turned out to be only the first of hundreds, maybe thousands, I would write on Lance’s behalf. Children are expensive. There was formula and food to buy. Doctor visits and vaccinations assaulted my banking account. Diapers and toys took their toll. And clothes were a constant drain. Just when he would get a good wardrobe, he would grow a smidgen and we would have to start all over.

As Lance’s age and size increased so did the expenses. Soon it was baseball gloves, Nike shoes and uniforms. Then he needed glasses for his eyes and braces for his teeth. And then, disaster struck. Lance became a teenager! Now it was cars, electronic gadgets, and cool clothes.

Then came college. Lance had always, and only, wanted to be an architect. To me it seemed he would be in school until he was forty two years old. Expenses soared! Tuition, books, and drawing tools led the long list of essential expenditures.
But, of course, just like loving fathers everywhere, I was happy to be able to help him and I did all I could to support his growth and his dreams. I never thought of these expenses as “sacrifice.” I was his Daddy and was prepared to give everything possible toward his life and dreams.

And then, one day, Lance died.

On a bright, beautiful, and horrible Halloween Day, twenty-one-year-old Lance was buried in his church’s little country cemetery. That afternoon I walked away from his grave and since that day I have never spent another nickel on Lance.

That is how I learned it. Death is cheap. Death can be sustained without expense. It is living that is costly. It is growth that is expensive. Our dreams, visions, and hopes require resources. Death doesn’t! And that is why I am glad my church needs money. A living, growing, thriving church will always require the continual, consistent, and conscientious financial support of its members. And that’s the church I want to belong to.
(Don Linscott, http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/156872-don-linscott-why-i-m-glad-my-church-needs-money.html)

We live in a time when it’s easy to get mad.  We become frustrated that our elected leaders are not leading.  We get upset that the economy continues to trudge along without turning around.  Our blood pressure spikes when we have to fill up the tank with $3.29.9 gasoline.  And we haven’t even mentioned the driver ahead of us who is talking on the cell phone, changing the radio station, and eating a Big Mac simultaneously!  Anger seems to come all too easily.

Even worse, we often take out our anger on our own families.  We explode at the slightest provocation.  We treat our spouses and children worse than we treat total strangers!  Brothers and sisters, it ought not to be this way!!

The book of James gives us some great wisdom when it comes to our anger.  “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (James 1:19-20)

When we become so easily inflamed with anger because of some slight done to us or some insensitive word spoken, we are not in the will of God.  A short fuse is lengthened by the grace of God and dampened by His love that lives in us. 

It is true that there are things that anger God.  Should these anger us, as well? Absolutely.  We can and should become angry over injustices and unrighteousness, but we must be careful how we respond to that anger.  Vengeance is not ours to perform, but that does not mean we should not respond in meaningful ways to assist those who have been oppressed or work to right wrongs.

Jesus never responded in anger to personal attacks.  He humbly and graciously endured those attacks without striking out in anger.  What did anger Jesus was the hypocrisy of religious leaders, a disregard for His Father’s glory, and the oppression of the poor and helpless. 

So, let me ask you – what things anger you? Do you mainly become angry over things that are done and said toward you? Things that inconvenience you? Things that don’t go your way?  Living angry will not bring about the righteous life that God desires for you.

As we prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving, it is worth noting that anger destroys gratitude.  You don’t see many angry people expressing thanks.  This Thanksgiving, let us count our blessings from God and seek His grace to overcome our angry demeanors. 

Finally, the doctor said, “Preacher, why did you ask us to come?” The old preacher mustered up his strength, then said weakly, “Jesus died between two thieves; and that’s how I want to go.”

Nearing the end of our lives gives us perspective. We are able to see what is truly important and what only appears to be important. We won’t be trying to make a point in our final moments; instead we will want to know we’ve made a difference. We will want to know our lives mattered.

We build our legacy day-by-day in the big and small things that make up our lives. Our legacy is formed in our relationships. If you eulogy were written today, would you be pleased with what it said? If not, begin today to change your legacy. You only get this one life; make it matter!

Jesus instructs us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is a lovely sentiment, but it can be a challenge to put into practice. Very often, we want our needs and wants to be met first. If I take the time, effort, and resources to meet your needs, I might not have enough for what I need or want. What a dilemma you’ve given us, Jesus!

In the end, it all boils down to who is Lord. If Jesus is Lord, then we will want to lovingly obey His call. If we are Lord, then we can do what we please. The Apostle Paul makes it clear how we are to treat one another. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

Heaven is not overrated.  If anything, it is underrated, misunderstood, and unappreciated.  The notion that the inhabitants of heaven will spend endless days floating on clouds and playing harps is not biblical – not in the slightest!  And to prefer a stay at the Ritz to the majesty of heaven is woefully short-sighted and shows a complete ignorance of God’s revealed truth.

Take some time to read Revelation 21 and 22.  You will find God pulling back the curtain to allow the Apostle John to get a glimpse of the glories that await all followers of Jesus Christ.  It is a place that is beautiful beyond compare.  A sea of crystal, streets of transparent gold, and a new Jerusalem that is half the size of the moon – that’s beyond our ability to fully integrate into our thinking!

There is no way that with finite minds we can grasp the fullness of what an eternity with God in heaven will be like.  The greatest poet cannot capture its grandeur.  The greatest artist cannot paint its beauty.  Paul was right – “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Eternity is not clouds and harp music.  It is not endless rounds of under-par golf or endless days of catching fish.  As we open the pages of Scripture and allow God to show us what awaits His children, none of us will walk away thinking heaven is overrated; in fact, it may ignite within us a burning desire to want to spend our forever in that place!

Thinking he may not have understood, the preacher asked again, “Now, how many of you want to go to heaven?”  Once again, every hand went up save for the boy in the balcony.  “Son,” he asked, “don’t you want to go to heaven like the rest of the people here?”

The boy replied, “Well, yes sir, but I thought you were gettin’ up a load to go right now.”

Many people claim to want to go to heaven, but few would are ready to go today.  Why is that? For some people it is because of the people they would leave behind.  For others it is because of things left undone.  And, of course, there are many who aren’t sure that heaven will be their final home.

Truthfully, none of us knows exactly when we will breathe our last.  This means we should cherish every relationship and make the most of them.  It means we should do all that we are able to do the very best of our ability while we’re here.  And it means that we should prepare ourselves for eternity.