THE PROBLEM WITH WORK

Ecclesiastes 2:18-23;3:9-13

Our work gains meaning when it's done to honor Christ

Work.  It is a four-letter word.  Many people think so, but the need to work is not a consequence of sin; God gave Adam work to do before sin entered the picture.  Work is good, but we are not to be consumed by it.  Work is best viewed as a gift from God...a gift for God.

Solomon continues his search for meaning, and he turns from gaining wisdom to pursuing work.  The king wondered if people could find satisfaction from doing more.  The Bible is clear that work is a good thing.  God actually gave humans work responsibilities in Eden before they sinned.  Solomon wanted to know if the work we do is really what explains our reason for being here.  

We live in a culture obsessed with work and the desire for the good life has robbed us of the ability to enjoy life.  Solomon concluded that working just to pass it on to someone else made no sense at all.  You can't take it with you, and you can't guarantee that those you leave it to will do the right thing with it.  God did not create us only for work.  A balanced approach to any area of life is the best approach.

Solomon's despair was justified in light of the actions of his son Rehoboam who turned out to be a fool who divided the kingdom and lost a great deal of the treasure that Solomon had built up in his life.  

When most of us think about God giving, we think of his wonderful gifts like life, grace, forgiveness, and love.  The Teacher understood God's gifts as providing joy and satisfaction, but he also struggled with the frustration and grief resulting from God's gifts.  

He recognized God as the giver of wealth and honor.  Wealth referred to physical possessions having significant value, such as land, livestock, money and precious metals.  Honor referred primarily to what made an individual weighty or important and thus referred to a person's status and influence in the community.  He struggled with the fact that God gave wealth and honor and did not allow the recipients to enjoy them and that God encouraged his people to seek wisdom, but kept so much hidden from them. While humans might not understand why God gives wisdom, wealthy, honor, and joy to some and not others, those good gifts come from God alone, not from human striving.  

Though Adam sinned, brining the curse of toil to our work, God gave his son Jesus for our salvation and to redeem us from this curse.  Through Jesus' life and willing sacrifice we can have salvation if we repent of our sins and believe in him for eternal life.  Because of our relationship with Christ, our work has purpose and our life has eternal significance.  The work we presently do is preparing us for the rest we will enjoy one day in the presence of God.  We are to carry out our work in the name of Jesus and with Thanksgiving to the Father.

When we view our work with an eternal, kingdom perspective, we understand it is a gift from God.  Acknowledge that the job you have and the work you do is form God.  Balance your work with rest.  Your work is important, but it should never consume you. Block out time daily for rest and set aside a day for rest. Consider the ways you can honor Christ and bring an eternal perspective to your work.  Look for ways to point to Christ in your work-related relationships.  

Doing God's work and his will is what brings purpose and meaning to life.