“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
Do you hear the echoes of Ecclesiastes in these verses from the apostle Paul?
“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3).
The book of Ecclesiastes is a master class in revealing the futility of humanity’s attempts at gaining meaning and purpose from the material things of this world. But those things are passing shadows. They do not last. And here, in the verses quoted from 1 Corinthians, Paul builds on that biblical understanding of reality.
Without the love of Christ influencing and motivating us and the things we do in life, it’s all empty and meaningless. Even if from an outward, worldly perspective, we’re doing incredible things that the people around us applaud, we gain nothing from such deeds in the eyes of the Lord. They’re empty. They’re nothing. And so are we.
That’s a hard pill for people to swallow. The idea that something can be good and right in the eyes of the world but not recognized as meritorious of God’s grace and love is foolishness. But that’s the message of the cross, isn’t it?
God’s love cannot be earned by the things you and I do. Our salvation does not rest in our hands. We can never do enough because the bar is set impossibly high. When the requirement is perfection, humanity falls far short every time . . . you fall short . . . I fall short.
God’s love is given—freely and fully—to us. It was earned by our Savior Jesus. He won it by his perfect life in our place. He removed the stains of our sins by his innocent death on the cross in our place. And he rose triumphant from the grave so that we would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God approved of everything his Son had done for us.
With Christ’s love dwelling in our hearts, everything changes. Nothing is meaningless. No matter how big or how small the thing is that we’re doing, it echoes with Christ’s love, fully and freely given. Everything we do as God’s children in this life has meaning and purpose.
What might that meaning and purpose be?
The amazing answer comes in two parts:
First, the meaning and purpose are to give glory to God with our lives. Not to earn our salvation—that’s already been given to us—but to say thank you to God for everything he has done for us.
Second, as God’s children, our lives are to be a reflection of Christ’s love. When people see us, we want them to see the God who loved them so much that he sent his own Son to die for them on the cross and rescue them from their sins. Our words and actions toward others provide us with opportunities to reflect Christ’s love and then also open doors to sharing that love with others by telling them about their Savior.
God bless you as you give glory to him and reflect his love in your life!
Your Life Has Meaning focuses on themes and Bible verses primarily from the book of Ecclesiastes and the life of Solomon to offer you a practical guide to finding meaning in life.
This book will remind you that your purpose in life, no matter what your job, is to help others recognize God’s love, because this is your “role in an epic story.”
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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