WE ALL ASPIRE TO LEAD A GOOD, FULFILLING AND MEANINGFUL LIFE
However, what does this truly entail?
If I have to guess and name few, I would say, for most of us, it means great career, good health, financial freedom, family, delicious food, happy hours, memorable vacations, travel the world and so on.
But, let’s look at what Bible says about life and not only life but desiring life. What does it mean in terms of both physical and spiritual perspectives.
Today, we are going to meditate on a few scriptures, but let’s just start with Genesis 2:7. Personally, I think it is a foundation scripture of life.
Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being
If we need to understand why we should desire life above all other materialistic things, then we need to understand the life that started with God. The life that God intended right from the beginning.
In the scripture, what we see is that God made a man living. When a man was created, he was lifeless. God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
It was GOD who gave life to a man and made him living. He was lifeless, made out of dust, laying on the ground unable to move, walk, talk, feel and so on until God wanted him to be living.
Life with God was awesome and abundant.
- Adam, in Garden of Eden, enjoyed everything that Garden had to offer.
- He was not made to die but was brought to life to live forever with God.
- He was given dominion over the fish of the seas, birds of the air and over everything that moved on the earth.
- He was not suppose to grow old or get sick.
- He did not have to toil hard but just tend to work.
- Every fruit and vegetable was given to him.
- He was made out of love.
- God used to speak with Adam, commune with him and took a walk with him.
- …
Imagine a world where sin had never been committed, a world where we could have experienced the pure, untainted life that Adam and Eve once cherished! The life that God envisioned for us from the very dawn of creation, filled with boundless joy, love, and harmony, waiting to be embraced by all of humanity!
Desiring life must be our foremost priority. Every action and word we express should emanate vitality, not just within ourselves, but in those around us as well.
As long as we are living in this world, we are going to die in flesh one day. That is given and there is no escape but as long as we have our life, as long as we are living, the question that we should ask ourselves daily is this :
Are we living our life to the expectation and intention of God?
- Are we really living out our true purpose, or just going through the motions?
- We inhale air, but do we ever actually feel the crispness that comes with it?
- We gaze upon the world, yet how often do we pause to truly appreciate the beauty surrounding us?
- We consume food, but do we ever actually savor it or just mindlessly wolf it down?
- We claim to love, but do we grasp the profound essence of falling in love and loving our neighbors as ourselves?
- We hustle through life, but do we ever stop to ponder how we manage to do it all?
- Where does wisdom really originate?
- Where does true strength spring from?
- …
It’s important to acknowledge that throughout our lives, we will inevitably find ourselves in circumstances that challenge our spirits and test our resilience.
That does not mean that we give up on life when we go through the trials and tribulations in this life. But,
Be victorious in every situation. Be over comer of the trials of life. Desire life to the fullest, all the way to the end.
Words of the Wise
Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 says .
10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes? 12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.
Let’s take a moment to pause and deeply reflect on what we’ve just absorbed.
The scripture powerfully conveys that no matter how much we accumulate, there will forever be an insatiable thirst for more and more. Today, we may crave just one thing, but before we know it, that desire morphs into a relentless quest for excess, a pursuit that is not for the sake of others, but solely for ourselves.
Yes, our wealth may grow, yet this very growth often slips through our fingers, robbing us of the tranquility we so desperately seek—it steals our sleep! We find ourselves pondering why our days seem to vanish, leaving us with so little time for a restful night.
We chase after countless methods to improve our sleep, even as our phones adjust their screens to warmer hues, aware that harsh light disrupts our natural rhythms.
I know a few friends who are deeply entrenched in their investing journeys, and in witnessing their struggles, it’s heartbreaking to see how they lose their peace over it, going back and forth in turmoil.
I cherish the verse that states, “the sleep of the laboring man is sweet,” which reminds me of God’s call to Adam to tend to the Garden of Eden.
What’s the purpose of toiling relentlessly throughout our lives if we fail to uncover the true essence of existence? Even amidst abundance, people across the globe are suffering.
Too often, we naively believe that wealth and acquiring materialistic things of this world will grant us a better life; however, we must learn to recognize when enough is enough, appreciating the richness of life itself and the invaluable beings around us.
Real and Certain Richness
In 1 Timothy 6 :17, it tells us that the real riches of Life is in the Living God. It says:
“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”
Haughty simply means arrogant or superior. We are asked not to be arrogant and think that we are superior than others just because we have more money. Even if we are rich in wisdom and knowledge, we are not supposed to boast about our knowledge and wisdom over others and put them down.
Then it goes on saying that all the worldly riches that we have is uncertain because we know that no matter what we buy, no matter what we acquire, those things will perish and so the happiness and joy with it. It’s temporary and does not last forever.
But look at verse 18. “Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life”.
Now this is true life, a fulfilling life, a meaningful life, to make a difference in someone’s life. The life where everyone is happy and rich in hearts and good works, where we are ready to give and share what we have so that we can claim that we have abundant to give and bless others as well.
Personal Realization
God created everything before HE created Adam. You know whenever I start to think about why God had to create everything else before Adam, I am always driven to a thought process that I underwent before my status changed from Single to Married and then to start a family.
I always thought about starting a family but I had to prepare and in some cases create everything else before I welcomed my first child.
Oh man! I cannot tell you how happy I was and how I can look at the future and feel beyond the first moment when I laid my eyes on my daughter that life would be so great and so much better. I will play with her, teach her, talk with her, laugh with her, and thought how the life would change for better.
The way we prepare and create everything around us when we plan to start a family and are about to welcome our first child, in a similar way, God created Adam out of love, to speak with him, to love him, to commune with him, to feel with him and so on.
God already created all of the other things for him so that he does not have worry about it. God provided food, shelter, sunshine and the peaceful nights, creatures, garden, the whole universe and gave him dominion over all of those things.
God wants us to desire life
The scripture tells in John 10:10 that
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”.
Jesus, the son of God, passionately calls us to embrace a life of abundance, a life overflowing with joy and devoid of lack. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking great wealth or enjoying the treasures of this world; however, these pursuits can distract us from experiencing a truly fulfilling life. Yet, a heart that fears God, filled with contentment, gratitude, thankfulness, forgiveness, love, and generosity is what delights the Lord. It’s a life lived through Jesus—a vibrant existence that allows us to step into the divine purpose for which we were originally created.
*** Desire Life, Love, Light and Stay Blessed ***
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