“Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” says the Teacher.“Everything is completely meaningless! Nothing has any meaning.” 3What does a man get for all of his work? Why does he work so hard on this earth? Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 (NIRV)

What is our purpose on planet earth. Why were we created to fill this earth. A few years ago something strange happened that caused me to stop and ponder and ask the questions WHY? Why are we here? What do we need to do to make our journey on this earth meaningful.? What do we need to do to make sure that when the time comes and the trumpet sounds, which we do not know the hour nor the day, that we are in right standing with God and that we will be heaven bound.

While I was still pondering on my thoughts, I began to read the book of Ecclesiastes. In the first chapter verse 2, says:"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." What does the writer mean I wonder? Meaningless? Why is everything we do in life so meaningless. Why do we work so hard and toil so much one day only to do the same the next day. Why do we chase after material things. Why fight and argue with one another? Why do we scheme to get things? Why do we worry and fret? Why? Why? Why?!

I came to the conclusion as describe by the writer of Ecclesiastes 1 that all things revolve and all this will continue to do so. But a little dose of the following might make a difference in how you live your life and who knows might unfold the mystery and help you along the way of this meaningless life.....

1. Love the lord with all your heart, soul and spirit - Life without God is meaningless
2. Be prayerful- Pray in season and out of season.
3. Be thankful at all times - be thankful that you are alive and for everything else.
4. Forgive, keep your heart pure and be gracious to all people
5. Be about the father's business, touch someone's life daily with Jesus' love
6. Work hard and enjoy the fruit of your labor. It is good and proper for a man to eat and drink and to find satisfactionin his labor.
7. Be obedient - To obey is better than sacrifice, do what the word says and heed to instructions from God, you never know you may be saving a life.
8. Give of your time and your resources - Be a blessing to those around you, be generous and not grumble.
9. Have a good attitude - Say something nice to someone, you never know you may just make their day. A little compliment goes a long way!
10.Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your heart.

Love with all your heart, work with all your heart. Remember the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong........but time and chance happens to us all.

Enjoy your your life now while you are in this meaningless world.

PRAYER
Almighty God, I thank you for my life and for those of my loved ones. Help me to daily live my life focused on what is important to you. Reveal to me what my purpose in life is and let me begin to walk in line with my purpose in Jesus Name.

JOURNAL
Ponder on the list above and take steps daily to achieve some. Write down your those things that may seem meaningless to you. Begin to make a list of what to eliminate from you life that may be clogging your purpose.

Proverbs 3:6 (NIV) "... in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

When you set out to do a task, do you ever pause to seek out your intentions and the motives behind your decision to embark on the venture? Do you ever wonder why you are embarking on such plans. When you set out to plan a task, is it because you want to make a statement, or to get noticed? Do you do what you do from good intentions of your heart where the end product is to make a difference? Do you make plans that will lead you to the next big thing in your life, or could it be plans that will lead to failure? What are the intentions and motives behind everything that you do?

If your intentions and motives are good and in sync with God's will, your plans will definitely be successful, but if your intentions are wacky and your motives are impure, then expect to fail. Intentions and motives go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. Make sure your intentions are pure to give you a hope and an expected end. 

If you have a plan in the works, stop and pause for a moment and evaluate your motives and your intentions. Could you be responding or motivated by a positive or negative emotions or desires? Remember that if your motives are in line with the will of God it will succeed. So remember to always commit your plans unto the Lord daily in prayer.

PRAYER
Almighty God, I humble myself before you today. Help me to search my heart for anything that I may be doing with wrong motives, give me the strength and ability to be able to correct them. I promise to trust in you and not lean on my own understanding, but trusting that when I bring my plans, you will lead me and direct me and make my paths straight and successful, in Jesus name, Amen

JOURNAL
Identify those areas of your life where you have used bad judgement, write in your journal ways to make amends to those decisions you made with wrong intentions.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Roman 13:8-10 (NIV)

The scriptures clearly states it very simply, "Love your neighbour as yourself". We all know that some people can be so hard to love, even when you try your best to love them. You give your heart and your all, yet all your acts of love and compassion may be misunderstood as being nosy or as some would say too overwhelming. But the scripture is clear to say that, "love is patient, love is kind and love sees no faults" 1 Corinthians 13:4-13.

So to love your neighbor as yourself, you have to endeavor to close your eyes to their many faults and embrace them with the agape love of God. We are to love our enemies and those that spitefully use us. This can also be hard to do especially when you have been hurt badly by an individual that you trust, but  remember that love should give no records of those things others have done. 1 Corinthians 13:5  And the fear that you feel from the wound and pain of past hurts, the scriptures say that perfect love cast out all fear. So why be afraid to love? Why be afraid to give your all to others as commanded by God? Verse 8 of Romans 13 says that no debt should be outstanding except for the continuing debt to love one another. Love is a debt that we have do take care of on a daily basis.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)  Just as you love yourself to protect your interest, so also you should love others and protect their good interest. If we say we have faith and have not exercised our love muscles then all that we do is simply put, fake. To love others is to be tolerant.

For God so loved the world that he gave His only son, so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. So what excuse do we have, if God can give us the life of his son by sacrificing him on the cross to free us from sin and death, the only pay back for that is to in turn love others.

PRAYER
Almighty God, today I humble myself and ask for mercy for those areas of my life where I have not shown love to those that surround me the way you have commanded. Forgive me for keeping a record of others faults. Help me from today to see beyond the wrong that has been done to me and help me to begin to love unconditionally with the agape love of God, in Jesus Name. Amen

JOURNAL
Make a list of those that have wronged you and what it is that they have done that has affected the way you love and perceive others, present them to God in prayer. Release all the hurt and pain in those areas that you have listed and ask the Holy Spirit fill the vacuum that the hurt has left behind with the agape love of God and don't go back to revisit them again.