A Biblical Perspective – Michael Youssef

“You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

How you view your life will make a world of difference in how you live your life. If you live your life viewing it from a Biblical perspective, it will have deeper meaning than if you see it through a pessimistic looking glass. In Ecclesiastes 11-12, we find Solomon’s ultimate conclusion to his view on life and the lessons he learned. Today we will look at two key points from those chapters:

Life is a stewardship; invest it wisely. (See Ecclesiastes 11:1-6.)
Everything in life—not only possessions, but also family, friends, relationships, everything you have—is a gift from God. He entrusted you to manage all of His bounties on His behalf. You don’t own it, but He’s giving it to you to manage it for Him. You see, the whole of life, Solomon said, is a stewardship, and so we must invest it wisely.

Life is a celebration; delight in it. (See Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8.)

For us to enjoy life and to see it as a celebration, there are three things that we must do—

rejoice (11:7-9), remove (11:10-11), and remember (12:1-8).

Rejoice in each day. Anticipate every new day as a wrapped gift from the hand of God, and look forward to waking up and unwrapping that wonderful gift. Start your day with gratitude.
Remove bitterness, false beliefs, bad habits, and unwholesome relationships from your life now before they endanger your future.
Remember the constant presence of God. Wherever you go, He is with you and watching over you. Remember to obey His Word and to seek His righteousness and His Kingdom first, for that is the secret to your success. Remember to place Him first in every decision you make.

Prayer: Father, help me to see life as a stewardship to be invested wisely and a celebration to be delighted in. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.