Work Gladness

WORK GLADNESS

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

“Then I [Solomon] realized that is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.”

We left 8 year-old twins Benjy and Danny cleaning up their yard after a destructive tornado blasted through the neighborhood (See Admit God’s Hand devotion). Neither of them was happy about it. We can’t blame therm. Benjy’s bike was missing. (All he had was the handlebar). When destruction hits, we tend to focus on the wreck instead of God’s hand of blessing.

But, no one died in that tornado. “Stuff” was all that was damaged, or missing. We can fix or replace stuff. After we shake off “selfishness” from our natural human attitude, we must admit to having much to be grateful for. How many people hate to go to work? How many people do not have jobs?

God created us for work. Work fills our hearts with satisfaction, and our hearts with joy. While some work isn’t attractive, many are hired to do work that they aren’t wired to do. The trick is to discover your path and follow it. When people’s work is their passion, work brings much joy. But, whoever works simply to earn money has a short-sighted view of life and has limited thinking. Wanting to make a good living is fine, but that’s not the end game.

Ezra discovered in Admit God’s Hand devotion, that he had two bosses. One was his king, and the other was God. The same thing is true for us. No matter who is our employer, our ultimate boss is God. Jesus gave us the correct example of work in Matthew 20:28. “...just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom.”

Take Home Nugget

When we have a servant’s attitude, we have the attitude of Christ. We work as a team player, instead of gaining something for ourselves. Our attitude will honor God. Our work will be high quality. We will be happy. John 9:4 says, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me.” The end game is to glorify God.

When our focus is not on the wage,

God is the Boss.

Joy is the gauge

That counts no work as loss.

J.D. Griffith

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