I REMEMBER distinctly one Christmas all my children being gathered around in great anticipation of opening the gifts. The gifts had been voluptuously wrapped with ribbons, and my kids were excited. Paper began to fly everywhere as they hurriedly unwrapped all of their gifts. The gifts had cost a lot and they had been well packaged. With great vim and vitality, the children began the process of unwrapping them. However, I remember the statement that was made by one of them after all of the gifts had been unwrapped. The question was, \u201cIs this all there is?\u201d Evidently, some of you have experienced that. Many of us have unwrapped life and we want to know if this is all there is.571<\/p>\n
[Life, Emptiness of]<\/p>\n
Eccl. 1:2; 2:17; 12:8<\/p>\n
IT IS impossible for a fish to be happy on land. A fish on land is struggling trying to make it. A fish on land is going to be squirming and flipping and twisting and jerking and jumping. It won\u2019t be able to relax because it is not where it was made to live.572<\/p>\n
[Heavenly Mind-set; World, Living in]<\/p>\n
1 Peter 2:11; 1 John 2:15\u201317<\/p>\n
EAGLES are most at home when they\u2019re soaring in the air. You know why? Because that\u2019s what they were made for. You can never be fulfilled when you\u2019re attached to earth.573<\/p>\n
[Heavenly Mind-set; World, Living in]<\/p>\n
1 Peter 2:11; 1 John 2:15\u201317<\/p>\n
AT DISNEY World there is a ride that I took my children on. If you\u2019ve ever been to Disney World, you\u2019ve probably taken your children on it too. It\u2019s called \u201cIt\u2019s a Small World After All.\u201d I remember well when I took my children on this ride because we rode around and around and around. On this ride you go through different cultures and see different children, dressed in different ways, singing the same song: \u201cIt\u2019s a small world after all, it\u2019s a small world after all, it\u2019s a small, small world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first time around it was okay; the second time around it was tolerable. The third time around it got on my nerves. The fourth time around I wanted to jump in the water and swim back, because that small world being sung by those small people was really getting on my nerves.<\/p>\n
Life can be that way sometimes. It can seem like a real small world. Sometimes it can feel like you can\u2019t break out and see some things happen and unfold like you think things ought to.<\/p>\n
Many of us are living lives of want\u2014lives of dissatisfaction. We want more and the world\u2019s too small. Every time we think we\u2019ve found the thing we want, up pops a temporary sign to let us know it won\u2019t be around that long. There is one expectation after another, one disappointment after another, one strain and struggle after another, and we are just not satisfied. We soon discover when we\u2019ve lived long enough, that there is no friendship, championship, scholarship, relationship, ownership, or fellowship that can fully satisfy our wants.574<\/p>\n
[Life, Emptiness of]<\/p>\n
Eccl. 1:2; 2:17; 12:8<\/p>\n
THE MYTHICAL story is told of Tantalus, a king who had been found guilty of giving the secrets of the Greek gods to mortal men. His punishment was to be placed in the river called Hades. The water came up to his chin. Hanging and dangling over his head were branches of voluptuous fruits. The punishment, however, was this. Every time Tantalus got thirsty and lowered his chin to drink water, the water would recede. Every time Tantalus reached out to grab a piece of fruit, the branch would rise. So the refreshment for his thirst was right there at chin level. Food for his stomach was right above his head. But the harder he tried, the less he got. The punishment for his crime was to be in the vicinity of a blessing and not be able to get it.<\/p>\n
The point is simply if you reach out for fulfillment in the things of this life, you\u2019ll discover that it\u2019s just out of your reach. For nothing in life was designed to give you fulfillment except God. Everything else is but a cheap imitation. The things in life that many of us cling to most for meaning, zip, and purpose must continually be hoarded because they so quickly elude us. The only lasting satisfaction in this life can be found in our relationship with God.575<\/p>\n
[Abundant Life; Christ, Sufficiency of]<\/p>\n
Matt. 16:26; Luke 9:25; James 1:17<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I REMEMBER distinctly one Christmas all my children being gathered around in great anticipation of opening the gifts. The gifts had been voluptuously wrapped with ribbons, and my kids were excited. Paper began to fly everywhere as they hurriedly unwrapped all of their gifts. The gifts had cost a lot and they had been well … Continue reading “LIFE,
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