Clay in the Hands

What drives you?  What, when you really think about it, keeps you up at night?

On Wednesday nights, I lead a Bible study and right now we are working through the book of Ecclesiastes.  It has been said that this book is the least read (and even less understood) book in the Bible.  If you have read any of the book, you know that it is not the stuff of greeting card sentiment.  It is a dark and seemingly pessimistic book.  In fact, most weeks I remind the attendees of the study that we should not go home, curl up in the fetal position and refuse to get out of bed.

What runs through the book like a bungee strap holding it together is the idea that everything “under the sun” is meaningless.

Everything under the sun . . .

In other words, if our only concern is what happens in the here and now, then we will come to the same conclusion as the writer of Ecclesiastes – it is all meaningless, “a chasing after the wind.”

In chapter 4, the writer makes a strong statement.  He says, “all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another.”  That statement should give you pause and cause some serious reflection.

So back to the original question for the day – what drives you?  I have to admit that I am not immune to being driven by envy.  I see the “success” of others and say, “I could do that.”  But when we allow our motivation to be envy and competition, we will come to the same realization – it all leads no where and amounts to nothing.

But, when our motivation is beyond the sun – when our drive comes from a desire to live for Christ and honor God – then our efforts do lead somewhere and our lives will count for something.

So what drives you?  What is the source of your motivation for today?

Live this day for God.

You won’t regret it!