What Are You Working for?
Ecclesiastes. 1:2-3, 14 NIV
"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 NIV
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I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV
Why do you work? Okay, the logical reason is to make a living. But some people work for the pure enjoyment of it. Others work out of pure ego. And others work out of greed.
But what real advantage do you have in working? Again, the most logical thing is to have money to live on. But there are other advantages... there must be in order to make you get up every morning and hit the freeway one more time! One advantage is the satisfaction of a job well done... not pride... satisfaction... no matter how seemingly menial the task.
But beyond that, there is an even more important reason to work. to bring glory to God. In fact, this should be your primary reason for working - and all those other things, including the satisfaction of a job well done, should come second.
I remember meeting a janitor who worked in the building where my office was. The evening I met him, he had brought his son to work with him. As he went about his work, he carefully and patiently showed the boy the proper way to do each task. And he did it with pride and satisfaction. Not ego. Not vanity. Rather, what I saw in this man was the pride and satisfaction of a servant... like our Lord. This janitor saw his work as important and essential to those who used the building during the daytime. He was careful and meticulous to a fault as he went about each task, making sure that his work would benefit those who would arrive the next morning. As he showed each task to his son, he explained the reason he was doing it - to benefit those who would use the building the next day. He would then explain - with each task - that his job brought glory to God, because he was a servant who realized that his job was vital to the well-being and comfort of those he served. He was truly a servant, in the Lord's sense of the word. And, although he was rarely seen while at his task since most folks had gone home when he arrived, he was intent on showing Jesus to those who worked there during the day through how well he did his job.
We should all be like that janitor, having servants' hearts, and letting our work and our attitude toward it be a living illustration to those around us of what it means to be a believer. Every day, we have the opportunity to how others who Jesus is by letting Him shine through in our attitudes, in our priorities, in our servants' hearts. If we diligently do our jobs well. if we avoid office politics and gossip. if we help our co-workers with their tasks, taking some of their burden on ourselves when they are over-burdened. if we aren't above doing menial tasks that aren't "in our job description". we will each be a living witness to those around us, vibrant illustrations of who Jesus is and how He can affect the lives of those who love Him.
Take a look at your work today... and be sure that all is not meaningless.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21 NIV
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
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