Today’s Devotion
Topic: The Duty Of Man
Text: Ecclesiastes 12: 13
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Amen
Everything in the universe serves a purpose. So does man. The Creator must definitely have a purpose for creating man in His likeness.
King Solomon, also known as the teacher, was considered the greatest and wisest man even beyond His era. He (himself) confirmed this when he said, “I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this, my wisdom stayed with me” (Ecclesiastes. 2: 9).
One day, he contemplated, “What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes. 2: 22- 23).
His wise analysis revealed that “all of man’s efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied” (Ecclesiastes 6: 7).
Now, that’s a bit confusing isn’t it? Because if all of man’s toil was for his mouth, how come his appetite is never satisfied? Solomon is in a dilemma again.
After so many years of meditation, wisdom led the king to justapose his earlier discovery that “man’s efforts are for his mouth” with Deutronomy 8: 3, which says “man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”. And came to the conclusion of the whole matter. This is it:
THE DUTY OF MAN IS NOT JUST TO SATISFY HIS PHYSICAL NEEDS BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY TO FEAR GOD, AND OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS. That is the only way to ensure true fulfillment in life and secure a place with the Lord in the after life.
To fear God is to respect, to reverence, to love and to honour God. To obey God is to pay attention to all He says and do so accordingly. So, Precious One, now that we know the fundamental duty of man, we can all stop the “rat race” and make the fear of God priority in our lives.
Let no one deceive you actually. Chasing after the world has always been to us like chasing the wind, right?; the more we have gathered- the much more we desire to gather. In the end, we are never satisfied and blame each other for the void we feel within.
On the other hand, when we obey God and live to please Him, His presence with us becomes our sufficiency. We are at peace with ourselves as we walk in the extravagance of His grace. He Himself becomes our source, joy and contentment. WE COVET NO ONE. He redeems us from the greed of the canal man and by His word, teaches us to seek His kingdom and its righteousness first, all other things shall be added.
Reflect on all the above therefore and have a change of heart. Pray now! Ask God for a heart like His; One that fears Him and obeys His word without compromise. For heaven and earth shall pass away, but His word abides forever.
The end of the matter: let us revere this great God and obey Him. Click and comment: https://youtu.be/F57w0bVnOzI
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