Praise God in all you do this year - 29 January 2025

Does life make any sense? In other words, why do I live, who am I, why do I exist at all? Right through the ages, philosophers, other learned people, leaders of different religions and we, the ordinary people, have asked these questions. Here, at the beginning of the new year, these questions once more present to me and demand an answer.

During the nineteenth century, different philosophers, especially Friedrich Nietzsche, started propagating what was to be called nihilism, as the new philosophy of life. My trusty old dictionary did not provide me with a clear definition so I tried Wikipedia and found the following: “There have been different nihilist positions, including that human values are baseless, that life is meaningless, that knowledge is impossible, or that some other highly regarded concepts are in fact meaningless or pointless.” The word is derived from the Latin word “nihil”, which means “nothing”. This philosophy quickly gained a huge following. After the horror of the Second World War, the idea that life is meaningless and pointless gained even more prominence.

Can it just possibly be true that our lives are meaningless and pointless, that there really is “nothing” worth living for. No! Never! Aside from the satisfaction derived from doing my daily job well, making a meaningful contribution to society and having wonderful relationships with other people, our verse from Peter’s letter gives us an answer to the question.

Peter said life makes sense when I can praise God, through Jesus Christ, in everything I do. If you feel that what I tell you is an old worn-out recipe that the church has put forward for ages, think again. Please also read 1 Peter 4:7-10. Peter gives us a list of things that we can do to praise God. The most important is right at the top in verse 8: “Above everything, love one another earnestly, because love covers over many sins.”

Nietzsche and his adherents are wrong. By loving each other and, thereby, praising God, life makes absolute sense. Jesus set the example of the utmost love when he died on the cross for us. Fill this new year with love for God and all those around you, and life will make a lot of sense.

Prayer: Lord God, please make me someone with a heart full of love for all people and some special love for those closest to me. Amen.