Remember the Creator 记念创造主
Dexu Xia
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Ecclesiastes 9:7
I recently read a novel about a woman who refuses to acknowledge she has terminal cancer. When Nicola’s exasperated friends force her to face the truth, the reason for her avoidance emerges. “I’ve wasted my life,” she tells them. Though born with talents and wealth, “I made nothing of my life. I was sloppy. I never stuck at anything.” The prospect of leaving the world now, feeling she’d achieved little, was too painful for Nicola to contemplate.
I was reading Ecclesiastes around the same time and found the contrast stark. Its Teacher won’t let us avoid the reality of the grave, “the realm of the dead, where you are going” (9:10). And while this is hard to face (v. 2), it can lead us to value every moment we have now (v. 4), intentionally enjoying our food and families (vv. 7–9), working purposefully (v. 10), taking adventures and risks (11:1, 6), and doing it all before the God we’ll one day answer to (v. 9; 12:13–14).
Nicola’s friends point out that her faithfulness and generosity to them proves her life hasn’t been a waste. But maybe the Teacher’s advice can save us all from such a crisis at the end of our lives: remember our Creator (12:1), follow His ways, and embrace every opportunity to live and love that today He provides.
By: Sheridan Voysey
How will you take delight in today’s simple, God-honoring joys? What one good thing have you yet to do or attempt?
Loving God, thank You for today and the gifts it holds. I’ll enjoy its simple joys and embrace its opportunities as an act of worship to You.
你只管去欢欢喜喜吃你的饭，心中快乐喝你的酒，因为上帝已经悦纳你的作为。—传道书9章7节
最近我读了一本小说，内容讲述一名女子妮可，拒绝承认自己已是癌症末期。她的朋友非常生气，强迫她面对事实，而她逃避现实的原因也慢慢浮现了。她告诉朋友：“我浪费了生命。”虽然她从小天资聪颖而且家庭富裕，但她却说：“我这一生一事无成。我很懒散，从没认真做过任何一件事。”现在她即将离开人世，却发现自己一无所成，光想到就让她痛苦不堪。
在读那本小说的期间，我也正在研读传道书，发现两者有天壤之别。传道者不让我们逃避人终有一死的事实，他说阴间是所有人必去的（9章10节）。虽然这让人难以面对（2节），但却使我们珍惜现在拥有的每一刻（4节），用心享受美食和家庭生活（7-9节），朝着目标努力（10节），去探索和冒险（11章1、6节），我们所做的一切都呈现在上帝面前，日后你我将要向上帝交帐（9节，12章13-14节）。
妮可的朋友们告诉她，她对大家都很忠诚而且慷慨大方，足以证明她这一生没有白活。然而，若我们要避免在人生尽头留下遗憾，就当遵从传道者的教诲：当记念造你的主（12章1节），遵行祂的道，把握祂在今天赐下的每个机会，好好生活、好好去爱。
作者： 霍薛顿
今天，你可以为哪些平凡无奇的事
感恩和喜乐？有哪一件善事是你还没去做，
或尚未尝试的呢？
慈爱的上帝，感谢祢赐下今日，以及今日一切的恩典。
我会享受这单纯的喜乐，把握每个机会，以此尊崇祢。