A Joyful Life by David Jeremiah

Wednesday, June 6 A Joyful Life    Without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  Ecclesiastes 2:25, NIV    In an episode of the animated television program, The Simpsons, Homer Simpson had the opportunity of asking God—or a god-like figure who represents God—an important question: What is the meaning of life? But just as God opened his mouth to answer, the show’s credits began to roll and the viewers never learned the answer.

Recommended Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:22-26

That seems emblematic of the whole world. So many people are asking the right questions, but somehow the answers keep getting interrupted by the closing credits—things like death. Solomon felt that way in the book of Ecclesiastes, but he kept coming back to one basic truth. Everything in life is meaningless without a personal relationship with God, for only God can impart lasting joy to our hearts. When we learn to enjoy God, we can learn to enjoy life. As Solomon put it, “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25, NLT) That’s the answer we need. Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. Richard J. Foster