Reading back in Genesis 3:17-19, work became cursed because of the fall — a price for man’s sin, meant to humble him. However, instead of letting it humble us and show us our great need for God, we place our very identity in our work, which leads to boasting or despair.

In Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon explains the “great tragedy” of how we spend our efforts to obtain that which cannot leave this earth with us. We either fill our days with busyness—arrogantly assuming our efforts can outdo God’s, or we become lazy—assuming our lives should be easier than they are. In effect, our work ethic becomes our idol and/or value and we lose sight of what our value already is in Christ. Instead, we ought hang our soul’s satisfaction on God, work industriously for His purposes, and enjoy the life He gives us. In doing so, we will follow Solomon’s conclusion that “there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work.”

Scripture References

Ecclesiastes 2:18-25
Ecclesiastes 4:5-6
John 4:13-14
Proverbs 15:19
Genesis 2:15
Genesis 3:17-19

Purpose of Work

Are You Trying to Get Life from Work?

1. We must work on our thinking: view of a job is that I am in a temporary position that I am stewarding. Looking for the perfect job isn’t healthy. That means you have expectations that can’t be met.
2. Evaluate your pace. What’s your pace in life? Are you moving too fast? Is your adrenaline always up? Are you always late? Busyness used to be a badge of importance in our culture, now it’s an addiction.
3. Know the difference between rest, recreation, and escape. You have to humble yourself to rest and realize it all doesn’t depend on you.
4. Embrace obscurity. We are all average and normal and our value comes from God, not that I am better than someone else.