Enjoying Good In Our Labor
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 3/11/2009 PM (Prayer Day) |
Text: | Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 |
- The Bible’s concept of work is very much different from present day’s understanding.
- The general prosperity of the last 60 years has greatly changed man’s understanding of work.
- But “labor” (to work or toil) is a major duty of God’s highest creature.
- God created man to work (Gen. 1:28; 2:15) and to do so all day for six days.
- Man’s fall into sin made work difficult and laborious (Gen. 3:17b-19).
- Even though we labor in the midst of vanity, it is still something we must do and keep doing.
- The Bible’s work ethic is redeemed so we can “enjoy good in his labor” (Eph. 4:28; 6:5-7)
- Work (like everything else under the sun) is vanity apart from seeking and serving Jehovah.
- We can labor long and hard and be successful, but without God, it is all vanity (22,23; Ps. 90:10).
- Further, the vanity of work and its fruits is that it is temporary and momentary (18,19,21).
- This is true whenever we fail to look beyond our work to the heavenly and the spiritual and see God’s purposes.
- When I separate work from serving in gratitude my Savior and Lord, it becomes vanity.
- Apart from God work (life) is vain (futile and empty).
- When one works unto the Lord, then one can “enjoy good in his labor” (24b; 5:18; 8:15).
- What gives to work (and to everything else on the earth) worth or value?
- See our earthly possessions as from God’s hand – gifts He means for us to enjoy (I Tim. 4:4; 6:17; Ps. 104:15).
- Grace enables us to find purpose in glorifying God, in working, in how we work, in for what we work.
- Work and labor is not vanity when we prayerfully serve (fear) God, aiming for heaven and its righteousness.
- The good our souls enjoy (24b) is “wisdom, and knowledge, and joy,” instead of “travail and vanity” (26).
- Work hard and then eat and drink and enjoy the opportunities to serve God and His kingdom causes.
- Then you will “know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Cor. 15:58).