Work

Not every job is the perfect job. Not every boss is fair. Not every assignment is your first choice. Not every project can get done in a forty-hour...or even fifty-hour week. Not every pay increase is what you expected. Not every promotion goes your way. Not every meeting is your awards ceremony. Not every transfer is your choice. This is the world…the real world we live in.

A wealthy believer never has to downplay God’s blessings. Wealth should be viewed as a reward for honest hard work. A believer should “accept his lot.” Don’t apologize for God’s gift. We should enjoy the vocation he has called us to do and the rewards we achieve for doing it.

Laziness is addressed in the New Testament as well. The apostle Paul demonstrated hard work among the Ephesians and explained to the church leaders that wages earned by working hard should be generously shared with those in need. Paul reminded the Ephesians of Jesus’ words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:34-35).

But for the believer, things should be different. Every Christian must have a biblical theology of work. Work is a gift from God, so we should honor him in our endeavors. When we honor God with our efforts, we bring glory to him. 

In this passage, Solomon proclaims what the rest of Scripture confirms: God is in complete control of all things. He is omnipotent; all-powerful. This means that whatever God desires to do, he will get it done. If he desires something straight, it will be straight and remain straight. If he wants something crooked, it will be crooked and remain crooked. Of course, God’s desires, decisions, and actions will always be perfect. 

The world is desperate to see Christians find meaning and satisfaction in their work. We don’t worship our jobs; we worship the One who provided us the gift to find purpose in our daily efforts. It’s hard to argue against Solomon’s point: “there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work.”

Some people do a job. They clock in and clock out. Their work is such that they can leave it all behind when they hop into their car to drive home. Most of these people spend their workdays dreaming of a hobby, an evening with friends, or planning a big tailgate party before the game. There is nothing wrong with doing a job if we do it unto the Lord and work hard to honor him with our work.

Solomon counted his hours, measured the family sacrifices, thought of all the sleepless nights worrying about an upcoming deadline, and concluded that it was all useless. There “was nothing to be gained under the sun.” Looking through humanistic eyes, he found that there was nothing to show at the end of the day for the physical and emotional toll caused by work.

What does a man gain by engaging in work? What benefits come from marketing, sales, owning a business, designing processes, and making products? Not much! That’s Solomon’s “under-the-sun” perspective. A generation works until they die, followed by the next generation that does the same thing.