What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing." (Ecclesiastes 1:3-8)
In the passage above Solomon observes the endless, boring cycles of life. Under the sun there is nothing new; all is vain and empty. Such is the view of the one who pursues everything in life except what really counts.
This picture is all too familiar in modern America. The straight life of the homemaker is a mindless day of dirty dishes, waxing floors, changing dirty diapers, and planning meals for an ungrateful family. The life of the workingman is forty- hour weeks, two-week vacations for kids, cleaning out garages, mowing a lawn, income tax forms, and bills, bills, bills. Life seems ordinary and pointless.
Several years ago our family worked together on a family paper route. From that experience I learned a valuable lesson that made my task much easier. There was an older couple that would express so much appreciation to me for having their paper on the porch on those cold winter days. There was much more to my laborious task than the paycheck at the end of the month. It was the joy of serving God and others! Even though it was a simple task, it was the reward of making a difference in someone’s life and the peace that comes from being their servant. God takes the ordinary and pointless out of life and gives every job a reason.
Paul says: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”(Col. 3:24) Notice the focal point of this passage: “you serve the Lord Christ”. Each day I must be reminded that no matter what the work – “I serve the Lord Christ”. This is true of the homemaker, the workingman, or the student. It is true of the physician and the paperboy. Whatever the job – “I serve the Lord!” He is the reason to live! He is to be the focal point of all of my plans. Without Him life is empty and monotonous!
By George Slover
