The Work We Do

Time and time again I hear people speak about having no time. They lament the busyness of their days which seem filled with the mundane and boring tasks of providing for themselves a standard of living to which they have become accustomed.

Solomon was just such a man. He complained in Ecclesiastes Chapter 2 that all his working and all his accomplishments were like the early morning fog. He had lain awake at night struggling with new ideas and seeking ways to advance himself, but now he had come to realize that all his efforts were really nothing. He would soon die and leave his accomplishments to another who would probably just squander it.

So, he mused, why should one overly concern himself with acquiring position and possessions which would soon be forgotten. Since the eye and ear are never full, one can never satisfy the desires of those senses, for attainment and accomplishment breed the desire for ever more when one is pre-occupied with the fulfillment of such. He went so far as to suggest that perhaps this was God's purpose after all, that man simply find his pleasure in what he accomplished while indulging his sensual desires.

However, Solomon could not gain the fulfillment and joy for living he sought in the excesses of sensual pleasure which his prominence and prosperity afforded him. He cried out, "It is all vanity, it is all useless, it is all purposeless." Surely there must be more than this dreary existence he was experiencing.

In Chapter 12, Solomon affirmed that although he had tried everything, he had found only one way to live victoriously. "Remember God early in your life." Oh, how we need to focus on God early in our lives in this age also. All our doings, and all our exertions in pursuit of position and possessions will never give us genuine fulfillment and happiness. Should one purchase a new boat, he'll soon see another that he longs for. Should he become Mayor, he will desire to be Governor.

Scripture teaches that God provides for those who follow Him. The primary concern for the Genuine Believer in Jesus Christ ought be to follow His will for one's life. The work in which one is engaged is primarily His provision of opportunity for that one to communicate the light and love of God to a world floundering in loveless darkness. So, one dedicates himself to the tasks his work involves with a sense of calling and ministry which enables him to be the best he can be without disillusionment when all around seems purposeless.

Solomon came to realize that work was honorable and meaningful when not engaged for the purpose of fulfilling one's sensual desires.

Why do you do what you do?