“You haven’t lived until you have found something worth dying for” (Admiral Paul Watson). It is interesting that people search their entire lives for something that is truly worth living, and yet most of them will fully ignore the actual answer. Many people have had to find out the hard way what was not worth spending a lifetime to achieve, as well as where life is not found. Here are 5 places where life is not found:
- Not in Unbelief. Without belief, there is no hope, especially in the future. We are reminded of Psalm 14:1; 53:1 – “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God.’” Typically, people who do not believe in God have given themselves some sort of false hope about life. Which, in turn, makes death that much more devastating (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Life is most certainly not found in unbelief.
- Not in Pleasure. Pleasure at its most simple is giving ourselves whatever we want. This is probably the aspect most people will live their entire life for. Through Solomon’s wisdom in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, he came to the conclusion that pleasure is not where life is found. If all we do is please ourselves, then no true significance will come to our lives. It is not worth it to spend our lives chasing temporary pleasures when we inevitably will have to leave it all behind (Ecclesiastes 2:18).
- Not in Money. It is no secret that money does not bring happiness, though most people ignore this advice. It seems the more money someone has, the more they want and the more unhappy they become. Solomon also came to a similar conclusion in Ecclesiastes 5:10-20. It is not worth it to spend our lives chasing after money (1 Timothy 6:10)
- Not in Position and Fame. What is the real point of having a high position or being famous? King Solomon was the wisest person ever to live, incredibly rich, powerful, and one of the greatest kings ever to live. Yet even he realize a high position was not where life is truly found (Ecclesiastes 1:12-14). Fame and power don’t bring us salvation, nor does it make this life fulfilling.
- Not in Military Glory. What a terrible thing it would be to live only to fight, kill, and conquer. Though David was a great king and a man who followed the Lord, God wouldn’t even allow him to build the House of God because of his many bloody war conquests (1 Chronicles 22:6-8). It is not worth it to spend our lives conquering nations and chasing military glory. Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent and said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”
Obviously, life and happiness cannot be found in these places. Where, then, is it found? Thankfully, the answer is quite simple. It is found in Christ alone. Read the first verse of this beautiful song called “In Christ Alone.”
“In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.”
Jesus clearly said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Let’s focus on the things that are truly important and stop frivolously looking for in other places. If we truly want hope and meaning in life, we won’t find it anywhere else other than Christ.
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