“Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
2 Corinthians 5:8-10 ESV

Solomon sums up the book of Ecclesiastes with the statement that the real meaning of life is to fear God and obey His commands. Here, Paul kind of echoes that thought by saying that while we are still here, we make it our aim to please Him. We remember, in doing this,that our life is not about us finding pleasure in the things of this world. Yes, God wants us to enjoy. His creation, but we are also living in the tainted-by-sin version of creation, and so we know that even the best of what we experience today has been corrupted by the decay of sin and death.

So, the secret to living well is keeping our heart with God, not with human goals and earthly achievements or status. It’s not about houses or possessions or rank or position or bank accounts or anything else so shallow. It’s not about how good we can make ourselves, how skinny, how fit, how toned we can make our bodies. It’s not just about building quality in our character, being a good, kind, loving person who thinks of others.

The secret to living life well is so far beyond any of that. Those are human things that we can achieve on our own outside of God. By human standards. If we work hard enough, we can be the big boss at work, have a fat bank account, live in luxury (still giving to charity so we look good and make ourselves feel good) and seem like a really awesome person. Those are human goals and human achievements.

But if we want a life that matters, and don’t want to just be another Ozzimandias, then we make it our aim to please God. This is impossible for us to do. We cannot do it. There is not a human being alive who can please God, but this is our aim. The only hope we have of pleasing God is standing with Christ. If we humbly resign our pride and ego to Him, acknowledging that we are not as wonderful as we think we are, then we will see and discover just how much a life lived in Christ pleases Him. We will begin to experience what real purpose and meaning looks like, and according or what Jesus has already done, it is a life lived sacrificially for others. When we die to self and spend our lives drawing others to God, we will find that the secret to a well lived life comes from handing our life over to God, spending every day in pursuit of Him, loving as we have first been loved .

So, GoLove as you have been loved, in the Name and power of Jesus Christ. Live grace. Show true joy. Rest in the shelter of truth.