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Q. What is mans chief end? A. To glorify God and enjoy Him forever! Q. What was Solomons conclusion? (Solomon was the wisest man, he was a king and he had everything, women, riches, everything! A. 'Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments : for this is the whole duty of man' (Ecc. 12:13) Solomon spoke of everything that he did and had as 'vanity' and 'vexation of spirit' like 'chasing the wind' pointless, futile, the more gained the more desired, like an unfillable hole. Why? Are we living against the grain of life somehow?People aimlessly wander through life, some athiests, some belong to cults, all belittling Jesus Christ or just simply cutting Him out of their lives altogether. Think about the different religions, do they not all replace Jesus with someone else or put ordinary human beings on the same par as Him? Makes you think doesn't it? Chipping away at the Name above ALL names, the Rock, the corner stone (Pslam 118:22)... Jesus plainly put it into two groups those for Him and those against Him, there was no middle ground (Luke 9:50). But people question all the time, they question about creation for example, they willingly believe that two sub atomic particles (which no-one knows where they came from) met in the vastness of space and collided and a big bang and everything came to be what it is today!! We have the sense to look at a detailed watch with different functions and have the sense to realise someone has made this, it didnt come together by chance, so how much more the universe, everything is exact and precise for our existence, not too near, not too far, not too much, not too little, EXACT! Others believe in ghosts etc. but not God never a God that could have made all this! Why?Did Jesus exist? Is the Bible true and real? Historians like Josephus seem to believe in His existence, Josephus even called Him 'the Christ'. Ok, say, yes He did exist but how do we know He was who He claimed to be? Take Peter and Saul/Paul for example, Peter denied Christ three times at Jesus trial (Matt. 26:69-75), Why? Fear? Lack of faith? Peter seen all the miracles that Jesus performed, God through Peter identified first who Jesus was (Matt. 16:16) but here he was, watching his Redeemer being falsely accused, whipped, beaten, mocked as if everything was completely out of his Masters control , which it wasn't Jesus Himself said that He Himself laid down His own life and that He had the power to take it up again (John 10:18) Jesus also told Pilate when Pilate asked him, do you not know i have the power to release You or crucify You and Jesus replied 'Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above' (John 19:9-11) Jesus was very much in control, He knew the way and He acepted it and He accomplished it (John 19:30). But later after the death of Jesus, Peter had a zeal for Him, fearlessly opposing the pharisees, speaking out in the name of Christ, even to the point were he was martyred for Christ! Why? What changed? Had he seen the risen Christ? (John 20:19) What about Saul/Paul, first mentioned in Acts 7:58, he persecuted the followers of Christ, probably seen Jesus preaching when He was alive, and he went out to put a stop to these followers of Christ using any force or means, it speaks of him in Acts 9:1 'And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest', he was completely against them. But yet, he did a complete turn around, completely, he explains in 2 Cor 11:24-26, 'Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;', all for the gospel of Christ, so why the turn around? Well, it explains in Acts 9 that the risen Christ had revealed himself to Paul also. These werent brain washed men, the truth was revealed to them.So, what did Jesus do that was so important anyways? Well 1 Timothy 3:16 explains who Jesus is, 'And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.' Jesus Christ came down from glory, took on sinful flesh, lived as us and among us, but yet remained, sinless and blameless. He showed what was important, He could have chose to be born into riches and material goods etc. but He chose a poor family, yet faithful to God. He humbled Himself, to show the way to God, He lived a life of obedience to God, He lived the way God wants us all to live. (Sure we will slip up, we still have to contend with our flesh, but we feel it, Gods Spirit grieves us from within and we repent, Jesus also had to contend with the flesh and temptation but NEVER fell to it He is our sinless mediater), yet He took on our sins as if they were His own and died as a sacrifice for our sins in our place, accomplishing this He was raised from the dead, conquering death (this gave us eternal life) and conquering satan (and the grip he has over us as far as sin is concerned because in repentance we can be covered in Christs righteousness, building a bridge between us and the Father and receiving help, guidance and comfort by His Holy Spirit) Jesus has now returned to glory. He will return again, but not as a lowly humble servant, He is coming back as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to judge the whole earth. Are we ready for Him?Can we recognise that we are sinful and need a Saviour? God says (and He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent) that there is none that do good, 'There is NONE that understandeth, there is NONE that seeketh after God. They are ALL gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is NONE that doeth good, no, NOT ONE.' (Romans 3:11,12) He also says we ALL fall short (Romans 3:23) So according to God we all have sinned. Check for yourself against the 10 commandments in Exodus 20. Do we have any Gods before God? What comes first in our lives, what do we spend a lot of time and attention on? Things other than God? Then they are our Gods! Do we keep the sabbath day holy? Do we murder? (considering Jesus put hatred in your heart for your brother under the category of murder)? Have we lied? Have we stolen anything? Have we ever desired what someone else has? We ALL fall short and ALL deserve the punishment that Jesus took in our place!So then is that it? No! We have to recognise we are sinners and in need of a Saviour, we have to genuinely repent to God, ask His forgiveness, ask Him to indwell us, guide us, change us, teach us. Pray daily, read His word daily to know who He is and what He has done for us. We have to get ready for His return. He will place us into two groups, His sheep and the goats, both have eternal life, the obedient, eternal life with Him, the disobedient, eternal damnation (which we all deserve) but out of Gods grace and mercy He has placed the gift of faith within His sheep. If this passage has hit you then you can conclude that He is calling you to examine yourself and come to Him, there is nothing within us that makes us want to turn to Him (Romans 3:11), there is nothing within us that cries out to Him or sees the bad within us, without God we are blind to it all (John 12:40), so if you are pondering your state you can conclude God has placed that within you... He says 'Behold, i stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with Me' Rev 3:20. I urge you to seek Him before its too late. I will leave the last word with Him: 'And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.' Rev 22:12