“13The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)
The commentary in my ESV Bible says: “The whole duty of man thus involves genuine faith in God, as well as works, which are the inevitable result of true faith.” And, I believe it. In order for me to truly know God, it is my duty to fear Him, or have a healthy respect for Him, and to do His will in my life. When I am actively engaged in those, I will have the inside track to truly knowing Him.
Fearing God and doing His will are the framework of the Christian life, and as I mentioned in another of my posts, that is a “good life”. Our single purpose in life is “knowing God” as mentioned in the commentary of my NIV Bible. And as we look at what it takes to know Him, we are brought to these final verses of Ecclesiastes where it is spelled out for us. We are to “fear God and keep his commandments”, and the last part of verse 13 sums it up, “for this is the whole duty of man”.
I am a sinner only working daily to do my part. Each day is a struggle from wake to sleep and thankfully I have God to lean on for guidance and direction and most importantly, LOVE. I will fail and He knows that. I will struggle and He allows it. But, I will also glorify Him and for that He smiles. I will do His work and for that I will be rewarded. I am working each day to know God and that all starts with my fearing Him and doing His will.
Do you know God? Are you actively seeking to know Him? What if you were to fear God and do His will, how different can you imagine things will be?
Trevor's Thoughts 