August 20, 2006
What do we get for all our toil and anxious striving?
This week’s Bible passage is from Ecclesiastes 2:17–30:
So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.
A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.
What this means to me:
Giving 100% effort in our work is a way for us to give glory to God. God rewards those of us who give our best to our jobs and to our customers each and every day.
This passage also highlights some of the feelings that many people have when they create something and then turn it over to someone else. This happens when a project reaches its completion or when we receive a well-deserved promotion and we leave behind the business we have built. While this is often a difficult feeling, it is a byproduct of our success. While others may not fully appreciate our efforts, God does and that should sustain us.
In the end, we receive tremendous satisfaction in building our business. Our efforts create value for the people we work with and for our customers. That is what we get for our toil and anxious striving.
Filed under: Business and The Bible
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Christian Carnival CXXXVI
Welcome to the 136th Christian Carnival. For information on what the Christian Carnival is, see here. I’ve decided to arrange the posts this time according to Psalm 136, using the NET. I’m not sure if I like every aspect of this translation, but it’…
Trackback by Parableman — August 23, 2006 @ 08:34
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[…] The second-click-through award goes to David V. Lorenzo at Career Intensity Blog for “What do we get for all our toil and anxious striving?” because I obsess over things way too easily, and need reminders to lighten up and refocus on the why and who as well as what and how. […]
Pingback by Kicking Over My Traces » This Week’s Catholic Carnival is Up! — August 25, 2006 @ 11:23
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