Ecclesiastes 9:11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
Do you ever play games of chance? I’m not talking about betting on horses or playing casinos. I’m talking about those games that we all see at the fairground or a theme park. The ones I like are skeeball and trying to flick the quarter on to a glass table. Sometimes I win; most of the time I lose, and the stall owner knows this when I put my dollars down to play the game. The other one I like is the claw that you see in stores. I’ve won a lot of stuffed animals over the years and I can remember almost emptying a machine in Scotland before the store owner asked me to leave.
According to Solomon, life is a game of chance with no rhyme or reason to what goes on. His conclusion is to eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow we may die. It makes me wonder that if Solomon knew Christ, would he have changed his philosophy?
As a Christian, I believe that Christ has a plan for my life and every other Christian under the sun. I believe that Jesus still cares about the world and that His ministry is still effectively taking place across this planet. I believe that hundreds of millions of people will do good things in His Name today that will go unreported, unrecognized, and unvalued. And I believe that life is not a game of chance; it is a predetermined journey which will end in Christ’s Triumphant Return when the gift of everlasting life will be awarded to His followers.
Today can be the first day in the rest of our eternal lives if we surrender our hearts and submit our spirits to Christ. Chance has got nothing to do with everlasting life; it has everything to do with Christ.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your life and ministry were planned long before You came to Earth. Everything was predetermined by God and You fulfilled all that God wanted and needed You to complete. Our lives have been potentially predetermined by You and there is a purpose for our existence. Help us to be aware of what You want and need us to complete in order to continue Your ministry and mission. In Your Holy Name, we wait and pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org
Today’s drawing is John’s latest chess prints. It’s called “End Game” and features three old men playing chess in the park on a cold winter’s day. If you would like to see a larger version of this drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6084/6047493889_86ca7e5e66_b.jpg
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