enjoying the good life

I've just begun a Bible study entitled "A Woman of Contentment: Insights into Life's Sorrows and Trials." It's based on the book of Ecclesiastes. The first memory verse and a lot of the subject of this first week's homework is Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, which says this:

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."

Solomon was the richest and wisest man in the world. Yet he invested his time, money, and energy into what did not satisfy, and the reason it did not satisfy was because he did not do it for the Lord. That was his own conclusion on the matter, and as we sat discussing it calmly in ladies' Bible study a few days ago, I just couldn't help thinking... wait... PRAISE GOD that we don't have to live like that!!! WOW!

Praise God that in Christ, our labors are not in vain. Praise God that by His great mercy, our work is not pointless. Praise God that He loves us so much as to give richness and depth of meaning to our every movement as we consecrate ourselves to Him!

I was reflecting on this again today and suddenly thought of the type of house my little brother likes to describe himself as having when he grows up. You know the kind... Olympic-sized swimming pool, movie theatre, and so on right there in the house. I smile when he describes this type of plan, and yet it strikes me now that I have this type of spiritual life in Christ. We have been given everything we need for life and godliness. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us through all of life's circumstances. We have no need to fear the future or worry about the past.

In a way, it's like I have been given the most beautiful mansion of my dreams. Indoor swimming pool. Gorgeous green lawn. Flower gardens galore. Rooms filled with art, music, and mountains of books. Beautiful, restful bedrooms and deliciously decorated reading nooks and kitchens and dining rooms with all the foods and delightful ways to serve it that I can imagine.

And where am I in all of this? I am the one sitting off to the side, poring over sheets of notes and calculations, trying to figure out how to upkeep it all. I am hardly aware of the beauty around me, so focused am I on the tasks that must be done... tasks which I ignorantly believe are my responsibility.

Do I not realize the magnitude of the good blessings He has given to me? Do I not realize that He who has given me life will also take care of it? And guide it? And bless it according to His will? The thought gives me pause. In my own strength, I can no more live out the life and salvation He has given me than I could have earned it in the first place. It is for freedom that Christ has set me free. May I receive that freedom with grace and walk it out with joy.