One of the last verses in Ecclesiastes gives the very definition of our duty as a human being. This may be one of the best pieces of advice ever given.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV
Basically, with all the wisdom and advice the teacher, or writer, of Ecclesiastes had written down, the conclusion that our very purpose is to fear God and obey His commands or law.
It comes across as a simple thing yet this statement is one of the hardest bits of advice for mankind. We are born into sin, full of selfish pride and often do not want to admit our need for God. But, when we fully submit to the plan God has for us, we find rest, peace, and joy just by fearing God and keeping His commands. This one piece of wisdom is quite weighty. By keeping God's commands, we are able to fully submit our will and our lives into the hands of our Creator. This allows Him to pour blessings into our lives, use us for His glory and give us a testimony of His amazing grace. We cannot fully know our Savior until we understand that this is His plan all along.
From the beginning, God has only asked mankind to follow His commands. It was Adam and Eve's choice not to follow His simple commands that ushered sin into this world. Our choices now, to either follow His commands or not to do so, create the atmosphere of our lives to either be filled with the fruits of serving God or the fruits of our sin. We make the decisions that affect the outcomes in our lives. We decide to follow the commands or not.
So many people in this world, and especially in America, spend large amounts of time, energy and money trying to figure out who they are and what their purpose is. I have witnessed teens ruin their lives trying to fit in, seeking pleasures, and trying to figure out who they are . I have witnessed a spouse being heartbroken as the other spouse walks away because they have determined that they have no purpose and need to find themselves.
The whole answer to each of these seeking questions lies in the Word of God. Our whole duty, plan, and purpose lies in understanding that God has a perfect plan and it will be found by keeping His commands. We are given a choice to place ourselves into His loving hands by following those commands or continuing the cycle of searching through this sin soaked world never fully satisfied.
The Word of God is there and placed before us with all the direction and wisdom we could ever need. It gives us access to the Father, gives us understanding of His great mercy and love, and helps create the relationship He has been waiting to have with each of us.
The decision is ours. We can find our whole duty and our purpose given by our Loving Savior by following the advice of a wise a great wise man: fear God and follow His commands.
