Nothing Better: Part 1 (1)
There is a way that seems right to a man… Proverbs 16.25
The most important question
I wonder what we might consider the most important question anyone can ask about their life in this world.
Not the most common: That would be something like, “What’s in it for me?” And not the most pressing, especially for young people. That’s more like, “What am I going to do with my life?”
Here I’m excluding the question that haunts everybody who hasn’t resolved it: “What happens when I die?” That’s a question for beyond this life, and a very important one, too. But the most important question anyone can ask does, as we shall see, take this question into consideration. In fact, it also answers the previous two questions we considered relative to self-fulfillment and direction in life. The most important question we can ask guides us in answering many other questions besides, questions such as, “Whom should I marry?” and “How can I stop wasting time?” and “What’s the best way to use my wealth?”
Any question that helps us answer those and a myriad other questions that might arise during the day must be pretty important. Indeed, it must be the most important question any of us could ask.
So what is it?
“What’s the greatest good I can do in this life?” This is the most important question any of us can ask. And learning the answer to this question is the most important answer any of us can receive.
Why this is the greatest question
What makes this question so important? First, it is a matter of conscience, that is, a matter of inward direction. Every human being has a sense of right and wrong. This comes from the fact that, being image-bearers of God, they have the works of the Law of God inscribed on their heart (Rom. 2.14, 15), where their conscience can “read” them as it establishes priorities and default values for the soul.
However, many people have so damaged their soul—through neglect and all manner of unrighteous thoughts, desires, choices, and deeds (Rom. 1.18-32)—that the echoes of things good, still reverberating in their soul, have grown faint and been replaced by self-serving, self-aggrandizing priorities, schemes, and desires. Their conscience has become defiled, as Paul put it (Tit. 1.15), and they are increasingly desensitized to what is truly good.
Such people generally tend to make life miserable for those around them. Only a good conscience, Paul would insist, can lead us to do good works of love (1 Tim. 1.5). Even Christians, who neglect God’s Law or deny its proper role in shaping the conscience, are ill-prepared to do good by virtue of the ignorance that pervades their soul.
But this question is also important because of the social and cultural implications that attach to it. For we do not exist alone, and we cannot escape the need for culture. We make choices about how to relate to people and what to do with our time; and how we answer these questions contributes to shaping our society and culture. In turn, the society and culture bear down on our soul, pressuring our heart, mind, and conscience to conform to popular expectations. In our day, our society is a torn fabric of tribal animosities because people have answered the greatest question according to a misconception of what is good. The same can be said of our culture, which is largely numbing, if not debasing, because our view of what is good has become skewed to favor merely what we want.
Given the compromises we have made with our conscience and the mess we are in as a society and culture, it’s a good time to ask ourselves anew, “What’s the greatest good I can do in this life?”
Where to look
So, where should we look for an answer to this question? For the Christian, the answer should be obvious. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is powerful to equip us for every good work (2 Tim. 3.16, 17). That would include providing an answer to the most important question anyone can ask.
But that’s not where most people look, and maybe not even where many Christians might think to look. But if we don’t look to the Word of God, we’ll have to fall back on our own best thoughts. And our own best thoughts—which we must employ in answering this question—too often get shouted down by our own strongest desires. And in these socially- and culturally-debased times, allurements of all kinds encourage us to respond to our feelings—which generally tend toward things sensual and self-serving—and allow these to dictate how we think and what we choose. Thus, every person becomes their own ultimate authority to decide what is “good” for them, and they tend to follow their emotions rather than sound reason in seeking to obtain what they want. This, in turn, further compromises their already-compromised values and priorities.
Living this way seldom satisfies their need for what is truly good and often exacerbates their search for it, however they define that elusive term.
We can improve our lives as followers of Jesus by taking care to answer this greatest question as fully and comprehensively as possible. It’s not enough to insist “Whatever’s good for me!” is a proper answer. As we shall see, the question is far too important to be left in the hands of finite, fallible, and foolish people such as we.
Search the Scriptures
1. Review Proverbs 16.25. What are some “ways” that people have tried to answer this most important question?2. How was Saul of Tarsus trying to answer this question prior to Jesus confronting him? How did that confrontation change the way he answered that question?
3. How would you explain your answer to this question to a friend who doesn’t know the Lord?
Next steps—Preparation: Make sure you have answered this question as thoroughly as possible. Does your life reflect your answer? Or does it suggest that perhaps another question is most important to you?
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Solomon will be our source for answering this question in this brief study. Our book, Comparatio, can help you understand Solomon’s musings in the book of Ecclesiastes. Learn more and order your own free copy by clicking here.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
