The CEO quickly scanned the email from a company that makes and installs wooden doors. His community radio station needed new doors, but money was tight. Out of a sense of obligation, he hit the “reply” button and asked for a quote on a set of double doors. Moments later, he got a response. Turns out, Andrew hadn’t read the email all the way through to the end. The company had in fact offered the radio station a free set of doors!
I’ve recently realized how seldom I read an article, blog post, or email all the way to the end. Knowing the ending, however, could provide me with a healthy perspective and perhaps a wonderful surprise!
King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes toward the end of a life full of excess. His conclusion was that “Everything is meaningless . . . completely meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He continued, “Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content” (Ecclesiastes 1:8).
We’d be left feeling pretty defeated if we stopped reading there. But the sum of Solomon’s words were meant to be “like cattle prods—painful but helpful. . . . Like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep” (Ecclesiastes 12:11). His goal was not to leave us drifting aimlessly through life. Rather, he urged us to “fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Ecclesiastes 12:13), something we can do only by His strength.
As God leads us in following His ways, it’s good to know what happens in the end. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4). What a wonderful ending provided by God!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 18:1-14
More:
Read 1 Peter 1:13 and consider how what it says about the end-times can inspire you to live well for Jesus today.
Next:
Are you feeling hopeless and weary? Be reminded of what happens in the end! How can you bring hope and joy to others who need it today?
Gary Shultz on August 22, 2016 at 6:45 am
Ruth, be it known this day that ODJ posts are read to the end, maybe not by all , but by most. I must confess I do, however, not always use that rule for everything I read. I have felt times in life like Solomon describes, but as you point out we are moving to something, someOne. If you have your eyes looking there, certainly there should be joy, strength, peace, and satisfaction along with many other benefits of a connection beyond this earth. Now we have the hope to bring joy to others, this life is not an end or a meaningless cycle, it is a growth part of Our Daily Journey. Thanks Ruth.
Ruth O'Reilly-Smith on August 22, 2016 at 4:56 pm
Absolutely right Gary. We are sojourners through this world; this is not our home. I pray our Heavenly Father will help us maintain a Heavenly perspective. May we not becoming overwhelmed by the seemingly hopelessness of it all, but rather allow His Kingdom to come in our hearts as He uses us to establish His will in our sphere of influence.
gagirllive on August 22, 2016 at 8:37 am
Interesting, Ruth. I seem to have the opposite problem. (Not with ODJ devotionals, of course. 🙂 ) With books and lengthier articles, I often read the beginning, skip the middle, and jump to the end. It’s a spoiler-alert, for sure, but I’m a bottom-line person. If I like how things end, I usually go back and grab the middle details. I know…weird. Thankfully, concerning matters of faith, knowing how things will end doesn’t spoil the journey but rather spurs me to press on with obedience, hope, and courage. And though I know what the end will be, it is still gloriously incomprehensible to me right now no matter how hard I try to imagine it. But sadly, too many people are like the CEO in your story. They are trying to purchase their own entrance when the DOOR has already been freely given—PAID IN FULL. We have to tell them the whole story—the gospel—so that together with them we can look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. (Titus 2: 13) It’s a happily-ever-after ending. Great encouragement for us today, Ruth. Thank you.
Ruth O'Reilly-Smith on August 22, 2016 at 5:05 pm
That’s a great reminder gagirllive – too many people “are trying to purchase their own entrance when the DOOR has already been freely given—PAID IN FULL”. Although we keep our overriding focus on our Heavenly home with our Father God, we also fully engage with and are aware of the nuances of every day life and the people God wants to bless through us.