When was the last time you received a special gift? Maybe it was a piece of technology you had been wanting, an article of clothing that someone had hand-made for you, or a piece of jewelry. How did you treat the gift that was given to you? I am certain that you treated it carefully and with appreciation, knowing the effort and care put into purchasing or making that gift for you. You may not realize it, but Scripture teaches that life is a precious gift from God. As a result, our call is to treat it with the care, devotion, and love we give any gift we are given, leveraging everything we have to know Christ and make Christ known. This is how we pursue a life of purpose and meaning.
What is one of the most special gifts you have received? What made it special?
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1. Read Ecclesiastes 9:5-10. In just a few words, summarize Solomon’s words in this passage of Scripture. What things get in the way and keep us from savoring each day that we are given?
Ecclesiastes 9:5-10
The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. 6 Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth. 7 So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! 8 Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! 9 Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. 10 Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
2. Name some ways we can make the most of the one, short life we have each been given based on this passage of Scripture? Who have you seen model this well?
3. Read Ecclesiastes 9:11-12. Is the teaching in this passage of Scripture similar to or different from how the rest of the world thinks? Why or why not?
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
11 I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time. 12 People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.
4. What does Solomon’s astute observation in Ecclesiastes 9 reveal about us human beings, and how should this understanding impact how we, followers of Christ, approach life?
1. Do you have a difficult time savoring each day you are given as a gift from God? Why or why not?
2. Name some of the blessings God has placed in your life to enjoy while you are here on this earth. What would it look like to savor these gifts today?
3. What would it look like for you today to follow Solomon’s encouragement and make the most of this one life you have been given?.
One of the most important things we can do with our short, precious time is make Christ known. Who do you know who needs to hear the message that Christ alone can satisfy? Share that person with your group, and commit to sharing your story of how something in this world let you down, but Christ sustained you this week. Your story may be the catalyst that points them towards Christ.
As we saw in our Bible study today, we must make the very most of the one, short, precious life we have been given because our time is precious and every moment we have matters for eternity. For the next few minutes together, let’s turn to Scripture and look at three ways to make the most of each day we are given: celebrate, make every moment count, and remember your purpose.
Today may feel like just an ordinary day, but it is most certainly not. You see, every day is a gift from God. As a result, we should celebrate every day that we wake up with breath in our lungs. As we take time to celebrate the opportunity we have to have another day to know Christ and make Christ known, we can find joy in even the ordinary moments of life.
1. Read Psalm 118:24.
Psalm 118:24
This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
2. Describe the Psalmist’s attitude in this passage of Scripture.
3. Is the Psalmist’s attitude in this passage of Scripture common among people in our world today?
4. What would it look like to choose to have the Psalmist’s attitude in Psalm 118, and how might that attitude impact your daily living?
Because life is short, we have no time to waste. Today, this very second, matters. We may think that our small steps of obedience and faithfulness, which only we and God see, will not have much impact, but as we take these steps every day, we are planting seeds that will one day produce a fruitful harvest.
1. Read Galatians 6:7-10.
Galatians 6:7-10
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
2. What encouragement does this passage of Scripture offer to those who might think that their one life cannot have that big of an impact?
3. What are the opportunities around us today to “do good?”
4. What is one small way that you can follow the command in this passage of Scripture and “do good” this week?
Throughout our series studying Solomon’s quest for satisfaction in the book of Ecclesiastes, we have seen that there are so many things seeking to distract us from our purpose as followers of Christ. If we are not careful, we can let these distractions all around us sidetrack us from what Christ has called us to do with our lives. If we want to make the most of each day we are given, we have to remember our purpose here on this earth, and that purpose is not to accumulate wealth, popularity, or anything else that this world has to offer.
1. Read 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21.
2nd Corinthians 5:17-21
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
2. How have you experienced the life-change Paul describes in this passage of Scripture after placing your faith in Christ?
3. Explain the calling that Christ has given us based on Paul’s teaching in this passage of Scripture, and why this calling must be taken seriously.
4. Who are you currently sharing your faith with? How is it going? If you are not currently sharing your faith with someone who is far from Christ, where can you start going to build intentional relationships with those who are far from Christ?
Take a few moments to reflect on the Scripture we studied today about how we can make the most of our time here on earth. Answer the questions below with your group:
1. Which of the ways that you can make the most of your time here on earth did you need the reminder of today? Why?
2. What is one step you can take this week to focus on your purpose, to be an ambassador of Christ and make Him known to those who are lost?
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