Finding Satisfaction in Work

Posted by   Grace Ministries   |   Categories :   Devotionals

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil– this is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

With the rise of working from home over the last few years, the very nature and concept of “work” is changing in our society. Many people dream of a day when they no longer have to work and can just enjoy life as they please.

This Bible passage seems to ask, “what is the point of all the work that humans do?” God has given us a great task to take care of this world and to help it prosper. The passage also says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Every person can think of a time when they were stuck with a home project. Even though it was difficult, even though it took up a lot of time, they remember the sense of satisfaction they felt when the project was completed. We all have gazed with pride at the end result of a job well done. 

Deep in the depths of our souls, we know there is more to our reality than the physical world. We often struggle to preserve our constantly aging bodies by whatever means possible, because we innately desire eternity, and we try in vain to create it here on Earth. However, those who are in Christ should also let the desire for eternity encourage them to keep working, to keep moving forward in their lives, knowing that they march toward the eternity they have always been seeking.

God gave us a desire to work. We need it to feel fulfilled in life. When people say they dream of a day when they no longer have to work, they don’t actually mean that. What they mean is that they dream of a day when they don’t have to work to make a living. When they can do the things they really want to do– but those things are still “work.” Everything takes time, energy, and planning. They keep our minds and our bodies occupied. Humans would be miserable without some form of “work.” 

This week, take pleasure in the things that you work hard for and thank God for the many abilities He has given you so that you can do work. Ask God to show you the ways that you can have a good impact on others with the work that you do.

September 26, 2022