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Enjoy Life - Your Portion in This Life

Enjoy Life - Your Portion in This Life

(Eccl 9:4-11) For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. -5. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. -6. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. -7. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. -8. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. -9. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. -10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. -11. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

From this text of scripture, we want you to consider with us the subject: "Enjoy Life". By that we want you to focus on the physical, earthy life that God has given you and how He wants you to enjoy it. As our text tells us, "that is thy portion in this life". Multitudes of people are missing the joy of life in our world today. They have allowed situations and circumstances to rob them of enjoying their life. Maybe you are one of them. If you think that because of the events of life that have involved you, that you must go through life being sad, depressed, and down trodden, then this message is for you. Our text says that "a living dog is better than a dead lion:. In other words, you are alive and even though you are not what you wanted to be and even though you feel like a dog, you are better off than those in the grave. You are alive and you have opportunity to enjoy the days that God has given you.

We understand than to enjoy life is an attitude and that the devil will do everything he can to get you to be sad and depressed. But think of this; no matter what happens to you or that involves you, you are still alive and therefore are better off than those that have died. I know that the devil tries to tell you a lot of times that the dead are better off. Well, that is his word, not the Word of God. God's word clearly lets us know that the living are better off than the dead. Though a lot of things seem to be vain and a waste of time, to be alive is to have the opportunity to enjoy life. "A living dog is better than a dead lion".

Our text tells us how to develop this proper attitude to enjoy life. In verse seven he says "eat thy bread, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. 8. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. 9 Live joyfully .." When you put forth the effort to live right, to do the right thing, to be pure and holy; God will accept you. The Bible tells us there is no peace to the wicked. And so we know that to choose to live a righteous life is to choose to have peace. This peace and contentment give every one that possesses it a radiance that is like an anointing from God. Then whatever we do, learn to enjoy it. I say learn to enjoy it for many times we do things because we have to do them and miss the chance to enjoy the time. Even if you have to do something that you don't want to do, that does not mean that you have to be unhappy about it. Learn to enjoy what ever you do. Develop the attitude that it is your portion in this life and you are going to enjoy it.

Where you have the opportunity to choose your jobs and the things that you do, make wise choices. Choose to do those things that are right in the sight of God and that you enjoy doing. This is especially important in the choice of an occupation. Too many people are duped into taking a job in some field because it pays more money than some other jobs. You will spend two-thirds of your awake life in the job that you choose. That's a lot of your life to wast doing something that you hate. In face it is so much that you will not only learn to hate your work, but your unhappiness will rub off into every area of your life. The same thing is true of your pattern of worship. If you only go to church because you feel that some one expects you to go and you end up enduring the worship, then you are missing one of the most precious times of your life.

Learn to enjoy God and learning about God. Learn to enjoy learning. The more you know about God, the better you will be able to enjoy your life. (Prov 3:1-18) My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: -2. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. By keeping the law of God, you gain peace. Peace, a Quality so valuable that no amount of money can purchase it. And here it is for the taking - all you have to do is to live according to the law of God and it is added to you along with long life and length of days. This does not mean that you are guaranteed a hundred years or anything like that. What it means is that if you live according to God's laws you will be able to enjoy your days and you will live more days than is you choose to reject God. In line with our text, it is better to live twenty years than to live fifteen years etc. -3. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: - Let these qualities become a part of you from your internal makeup. Do not just mouth the words but soak these attitudes into your being so that they become you. You need mercy, I need mercy, all people need mercy, so let mercy be always with you and as you seek the truth always, don't forget mercy. 4. So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. -5. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. -6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. - This is very difficult for us humans to do. We want to understand everything and when we don't understand, we fret and stew about it. We often do not understand why some things happen. Isn't God powerful enough to prevent anything that He wants? And why did He allow this to happen? The writer is telling us "Trust Him". He knows best. He knows what He is doing even though we don't . Don't lean on your understanding; let Him direct your paths where ever that may be. We humans like to be in charge of ourselves and we don't like the idea of someone else telling us what to do. But if we want to enjoy the favour of God we must learn to trust Him and let Him direct our paths When we don't understand it, just trust Him and make the best of the situation. As a preacher I recently heard said we have a saying around our place - "Get over it". Yes, that is a lot easier said than done and yet it is so very necessary to our own well being and happiness. Whatever happens to set us back or to destroy us, or to devastate us, we need to get over it, rise above it and move on. After all we are still alive and there is life to be lived and enjoyed and if we miss it, it will not be recycled for a second chance. You have this day to live only once and what you make of it is up to you. You will not be able to roll time back and redo today or this week or any other portion of your life. You get it minute by minute. Live it the same way for that is thy portion in this life. 7. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. - Depart from evil. Don't flirt around with evil. Don't play around with a little evil but depart from evil. You know it's evil, depart from it. Too many people are playing around the edges and end up getting trapped by evil. They are like so many of our youth today. They think that it is not going to happen to them. The best was is simple God's way. Depart from evil. Don't give evil a second thought - depart from it. 8. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. -9. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: -10. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. -11. My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: - No one likes to be corrected for wrong doing and it is normal for us humans to be angry with the one that hands out the correction. So the writer tells us don't get angry with God because he chastens you. He is doing this for your good and you should thank Him for it. 12. For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. -13. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. -14. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. -15. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. -16. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. -17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. -18. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

And so we see that happiness is in finding wisdom and getting understanding. If you understand that God has given you a number of years to live in this world and that He has made provisions for you to enjoy those years, then be wise enough to listen to Him. Honor God, obey Him, learn of Him so that your life will be a happy one. (Job 5:17) Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: Yes, Job is saying that God correcting you causes you to be happy. One thing you know, that when God corrects you, He loves you, for He does not attempt to correct those that are not His. (Heb 12:7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

(Psa 144:15) Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD. If you want to be happy, then listen to the message in this scripture. Take God as your Lord. Learn of Him, serve Him, let Him guide your life. (Acts 26:1-2) Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself: -2. I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: Paul was a prisoner. He was bound in chains. He was guarded by a Roman soldier. He had been condemned to die. He had suffered many things. And yet he considered himself happy, why? His God was the Lord. (2 Cor 11:24-28) Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. -25. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; -26. In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; -27. In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. -28. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

(Rom 8:35-39) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? -36. As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. -37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. -38. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, -39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

From these testimonies of the Apostle Paul we can see that He had an attitude to enjoy life. No matter what things he suffered, he did not glory in the sufferings, but rather gloried in being counted worhy to suffer for the cause of Christ. Most of us will never experience the suffering of Paul but we all will experience the temptation to lose our joy because of the things that we do have to suffer.

This is your portion in this life. Make the best of it. Learn to enjoy your life. Live joyfully. Take each day minute by minute and make the best of every minute. This life is swiftly passing you by and if you miss it, you have missed your reason for living.

Yes, there is a place called Heaven to gain. But, God does not teach us to sacrifice this life to gain heaven. What he teaches us is that it takes the same effort to gain heaven as it takes to gain meaning out of this life. (Mat 16:24-27) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. -25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. -26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? -27. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. When you lose your life for Christ's sake, you find it or in other words you learn to enjoy it. But as long as you try to live the way you want without regard to God, you lose both lives. Heaven, because you disregard God, and this life because you have no way to learn to accept the situations and circumstances that come your way.

What are you doing with this life that your God has given you? Are you making the best of it? Are you living it the way your God intends for you to live it? Is today the day that you need to set aside all the reasons that you have to be sad and depressed and learn to be happy and to enjoy life? Jesus is ready if you will come to Him. (Mat 11:28-30) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. -29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. -30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.