Work Under the Sun is Empty, But Work for God Has Meaning

“What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” —ECCLESIASTES 1:3

Most of us spend a minimum of 40 hours a week at our jobs, and sadly, there are many people who would relate to the words of Solomon regarding work. “So I hated life because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). ‘Under the sun’ reflects a life lived purely from a humanistic perspective; what we can see, smell, hear, taste and touch. Solomon presents a very frustrating and disparaging view of work. Many endure the same monotonous routine of getting up, going to work, coming home, going to bed, getting up, going to work. “Meaningless!” says Solomon. “A chasing after the wind.”

What is missing here? Why does work zap the life and energy out of many people? Solomon gives varying reasons. Work is endless and leads to nothing. It’s like a hamster on a wheel, running fast and going nowhere. The more we work, the more we accumulate, which only gives us more to worry about. We can compete with others, but all that does is feed our egos. Everything we work for is only going to be left to someone who hasn’t worked for it and may squander it all. Solomon reflects a sense of futility, fatigue and failure about work when he says, “A fool’s work wearies him; he does not know his way to town” (Ecclesiastes 10:15). 

The one thing missing in Solomon’s outlook is hope, because everything we might begin to hope for comes to an end. Jesus speaks right into this situation when he says, “Do not work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life” (John 6:27). This involves a total re-orientation of how we perceive our work. Whether we are bus-drivers, factory workers, accountants or teachers, we are serving as ambassadors of Jesus Christ, and that means bringing the agenda of heaven into our workplaces. It’s about allowing God’s light to shine through us in our actions and attitudes. 

Paul tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). As Christians, we have a higher master and a higher goal. To see our work from God’s perspective, we also have a divine agenda. That makes every day new and exciting, placed right where we are with limitless possibilities in which God will use us. Far from being meaningless, a divine agenda brings purpose, significance and motivation in doing our work and doing it well. 

Thank you Lord Jesus, that we do have a divine agenda in our workplaces, which bring meaning and purpose that last beyond the years of this life.

Do I bring the Spirit of Jesus into my workplace?