Special Note: As with last week’s emphasis on Ephesians, this week (and maybe some of next) will focus on Ecclesiastes, my favorite book of the Bible. In particular, I’ll focus on the purpose and meaning of life as discussed by this book. For an overview, see my sermon, Live Life in Light of Death. I encourage you to read one chapter of the book daily to go along with these devotions.

Today’s Reading: Ecclesiastes 12

…7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath[d] returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher; all is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 12:7-8

Once again, we return to death. 

Throughout most of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher returns to this idea, and so do we today. You’ll notice I skipped chapters 10 and 11. These contain mostly miscellaneous sayings akin to Proverbs. There’s much to explore there, but for our purposes in looking at the overarching narrative of Ecclesiastes, we look now at the concluding chapter. 

In particular, we look at the verses listed above. Scholars think the remaining part of chapter twelve was added at a later date, trying to offer interpretation of a hard and challenging book. Ecclesiastes certainly is a challenge, as we have seen, but there’s one word that comes to mind for me as we finish this excursion: freedom. 

There’s freedom in understanding what is havel and what will ring in eternity. There’s freedom in letting go of chasing after the wind to focus instead on those things that will be remembered at our funeral. It’s freeing to live life in light of death, understanding that it is death that makes our lifespans have meaning, so we must focus where God has given us life and let go of all that destroys life. Finally, it’s freeing to know that our lifespans are infinitesimal, for recognizing that we are here but for a moment calls us to pay attention, focusing on those things that matter most. 

There’s freedom on offer. But getting to that place of freedom often requires going through conviction. Things that are havel can be challenging to let go of. Sometimes, we like chasing after the wind because we think it makes us important. And, of course, it’s unpleasant to be mindful of our own death. 

But freedom is on offer. And through this focus on Ecclesiastes, I hope you have walked further down the path to that freedom.

Think
What would your life look like if you had the freedom found in Ecclesiastes? 

Pray
Ask God to give you the wisdom to know that freedom, and to know where to focus your energy and what to let go of.

Do
What gives you life? What takes away life? Stop doing the latter today, and start doing more of the former.

Think, Pray, Do. As we respond in faith to scripture, God moves in power through our minds, hearts, and bodies. We are the people of God. Thanks for reading today. Go in peace. Amen.

Think, Pray, Do devotionals by Ted Goshorn follow the suggested bible reading plan from his website and book, Prayer Changes Us. Find this Bible reading plan at tedgoshorn.org/biblereading. If you have found today’s devotion helpful, don’t forget to subscribe for daily emails at tedgoshorn.org and share with others that we may think, pray, and do faithfully.