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About 3,000 years ago, a prince inherited his father’s kingdom. Blessed by God with wisdom, he turned the fledgling realm into a diplomatic and commercial powerhouse, becoming the wealthiest monarch of his time. He became an uber-rich, international superstar. As his fame and wealth increased, his dissatisfaction and disappointment with life grew deeper. The “Teacher” decided to pour out his frustration in words now known as the Book of Ecclesiastes, a body of literary despair we know to find in our Bibles.
In his new book, We Go On (Zondervan), author John Onwuchekwa draws from the book of Ecclesiastes and from his own journey through life. Like the “Teacher,” John also experienced times of discouragement and intense frustration with the world. Sometimes life does not make sense. The righteous are trampled and the wicked prospers, we get what we want and find it isn’t enough, we work and we dream and never secure what we long for. And at the end of life, we leave it all behind and we are slowly forgotten. John uses the ancient writing in Ecclesiastes to guide us to a life of purpose – one governed by our hope and trust in God. The world changes, but God does not. When we view our work, our possessions, our identity, and our relationships as gifts from God, they cease to be meaningless. The ancient king reviewed his life “under the sun” in despair. John encourages us to view life as a gift from God. We can live in hope and joy as we prayerfully “live full lives in this fractured world as we await the hope of the Resurrection.”
The king was wrong. Life is not worthless. Death is not the end. Our time on earth is not an exercise in futility. What we do and who we are and who we love matters to God. That’s why he sent his Son to redeem us. Our hours are in His safekeeping, and He will redeem them all. We don’t live merely “under the sun.” We live under the kingdom of heaven.
-Darrel Holcombe, Owner
Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts
Colonial Promenade, Alabaster
www.sanctuarychristianbooksandgifts.com
205-663-2370
