Never Enough

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading titled Never Enough was written by Mike Whitmer. Frank Borman commanded the first space mission that circled the moon. He wasn't impressed.

The trip took two days both ways. Frank got motion sickness and threw up. He said being weightless was cool for 30 seconds. Then he got used to it. Up close, he found the moon drab and pockmarked with craters.

His crew took pictures of the gray wasteland, then became bored. Frank went where no one had gone before. It wasn't enough. If he quickly tired of an experience that was out of this world, perhaps we should lower our expectations for what lies in this one. The teacher of Ecclesiastes observed that no earthly experience delivers ultimate joy, saying the eye never has enough of seeing nor the ear its fill of hearing.

We may feel moments of ecstasy, but our elation soon wears off and we seek the next thrill. Frank had one exhilarating moment when he saw the earth rise from the darkness behind the moon. Like a blue and white swirled marble, our world sparkled in the sun's light. Similarly, our truest joy comes from the sun shining on us. Jesus is our life, the only ultimate source of meaning, love and beauty. Our deepest satisfaction comes from out of this world. Our problem? We can go all the way to the moon, yet still not go far enough.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verses 1 through 11. Meaningless, meaningless, says the teacher. Utterly meaningless.

Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north. Round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.

To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again. What has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, look, this is something new? It was here already long ago. It was here before our time.

No one remembers the former generations and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you that you are enough. Enough to fill our routines, our longings, our desires. You alone fill our hearts to overflowing and with you we don't crave for more because we are fulfilled. Open our eyes that we may see your wonderful works all around us and give you the honor and thanks you deserve. In Jesus name we pray, amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.