The answer is not forty-two

The answer is not forty-two

In his sifi spoof The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams tells of a super computer built for some mice, determines the answer to life, the universe and everything is “forty-two”
Adams in his book spoofs everything in society. It’s an interesting book to read just for fun, there was even a movie made of it as well as a BBC television program.
That being said the Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy assumption that the meaning of life is forty-two as we know is not true.
A individual is far more than that whatever it means.
Philosophers through the ages have argued over what the meaning of life is. Today people are drawn to various religious, philosophies and ways of life in the hope of finding true meaning and purpose in their life. Some are even turning to terrorist organisations to find purpose in life.
The Greeks in the days of the Apostles and Jesus were looking for meaning. They built temples to various Gods. They talked endlessly trying to find true meaning and were constantly on the lookout for new ideas.
One of those new ideas, at least to the ancient Greeks in Athens, was the belief the apostle Paul was talking about. Belief in Jesus. His speech to the Athenians then is as relevant today as it was then. The book of Acts records,
“So he(Paul) reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.”    They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.  
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”  
(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 
  “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”  
At that, Paul left the Council.  
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”
                                                                                                 Acts 17:17-34
Jesus said,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 
          John10:10.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                                       Matthew 11:28-30.
As someone who has know Jesus as my Lord and Saviour for over forty years now I know that all the Bible says about Him is true.
My life as a Christian has meaning and purpose. In Christ I have lived a full and rich life. What more can I ask?
I would ask you dear reader to consider accepting Jesus into your life today.
Please think about it.