"Absolute futility"

My family recently spent a couple of days in a small city famous (or infamous, depending upon your perspective) for its acceptance and promotion of New Age philosophies.  Stores and shops abound that cater to books, clothing, counseling services, and so forth that reflect and promote these philosophies.  Several of the citizens also have the modern-day "hippie" appearance that is often associated with the New Age lifestyle.

Being the deep thinker that I am, I was struck by the profound thought at one point about how these folks, just like me, are seeking answers through spiritual means.  However, unlike me, they are looking to every form of spirituality apart from that set out in the Bible.  (As an aside, New Agers that do look to the Bible minimize Jesus to the status of prophet or 'wise teacher' as opposed to the one and only representative of God in the flesh - and one and only mediator between God and mankind - that the same Bible describes Jesus as.)

With this thought in mind, I looked around and wondered how their spiritual quest was working for them.  What I saw is the same thing I see everywhere else:  people who were no closer to finding answers than those not seeking spiritual answers.  If they were finding answers, there wouldn't be the diversity of paraphernalia and services that the New Age movement provides to its followers.  Instead of a multitude of books on eastern religions and philosophies, there would be only one source like the Bible is for believers in the one true God.  It seems instead that New Agers have no one source for answers, which makes their quest nothing more than a crap-shoot of try-this and try-that until a person finds what 'works best for them', even though most answers are never found and any feelings of peace and fulfillment last only for a time.

And the saddest part is that no god or gods or philosophy they choose to follow apart from the God of the Bible can usher them into an eternal existence after this one of bliss and oneness with their Creator that most of these folks seem to be longing for.

Some people might argue that if Christianity and the Bible alone provided all the answers, there wouldn't be the enormous diversity of denominations, books, and ministries devoted to providing answers to its followers and followers-to-be. But any of these things that are truly Christian have as their foundation the one source - the Bible - that is able to allow them to provide answers.  They simply seek to break down and explain the teachings of the Bible in ways that an enormous diversity of personalities can try to understand.

As I watched people go about their daily life in this city, I thought of the opening passage of the book of Ecclesiastes, authored by a man perhaps never excelled in wisdom and wealth by anyone else in history.  Most Biblical translations from the original Hebrew and Aramaic into English use the word "vanity" in  verse 2 of Chapter 1 as follows:

"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." (NKJV, New King James Version)

However, a newer translation that claims to have benefitted from more recent advances in translational accuracy renders this verse in a more interesting way:

"Absolute futility," says the Teacher.  "Absolute futility.  Everything is futile." (HCSB, Holman Christian Standard Bible)

In other words, as I watched those citizens of this city who hold to the New Age philosophy, I thought of their absolute futility, the total pointlessness of their trying to seek spiritual answers outside of those provided in the Bible.  I could just tell by their behaviors and the looks on their faces that they 'still hadn't found what they were looking for.'  I knew this because they were just like me many years ago, although I was agnostic and proud of it, seeking answers and never finding them - or at least the right ones - and going through the turmoil and depression that characterizes those who seek but never find.  Even though they tried to hide it, again I could see it on their faces and by how they behaved.

Jesus, however, invites everyone (drug-free or not, virgin or not, criminal or not, rape victim or not) to

"Keep asking, and it will be given to you.  Keep searching, and you will find.  Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you ... If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:7, 11)

It would seem to me that no other spiritual leader in history ever offered such a promise to anyone!  This passage, when taken in context with the surrounding verses, seems to indicate that God is promising answers to those who ask Him, to those who

"... seek Him with all your heart and all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29)

But Jesus makes it clear that He is the only means - the only mediator - through which we are supposed to come to God (see I Timothy 2:5), and not just to find answers:

"Everyone who drinks from this water [in the well] will get thirsty again.  But whoever drinks from the water that I will give them will never get thirsty again - ever!  In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life." (John 4:13-14)

Again, taken in context, this passage not only indicates that Jesus will provide answers, but also peace and satisfaction and the ultimate: eternal life.  He alone provides the "nirvana" sought by Hindus and Buddhists that they will never find.  He alone provides the "paradise" sought by pleasure-seekers that they also will never find.

So I guess to avoid futility, you need to choose who or what you will believe and serve.  Will you ignore or reject the God of the Bible and live in futility, never truly finding what you're looking for, or will you accept this God and find answers and lasting peace?  Obviously, the choice is yours since God is not a tyrant but a gentlemen who doesn't force Himself on anyone.

"As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)