Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God.
What does the worker gain from his toil? Have you ever asked yourself this question? Maybe while you were on your way home from work or your business, or after an exhausting and busy week. And maybe after you notice that your take home pay is either just right or not enough to make ends meet. What do we gain from all this toil?
Solomon was aware of the hard work, and also of the futility of all these toil that we do on earth. He said in verse 10 that he saw the burden that God has laid on men. The word used in the King James bible for burden is “travail”, which means “hard work”.
But Solomon also added: vs11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Yes, God may have laid these burdens, these hard work in our lives, but eventually He will make all things beautiful in it’s time. This reminds me of the old song we used to sing: “In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time”. Here we see Solomon proclaiming to us the same thing. Right now we may be burdened with hard work, but eventually we will see the blessing of the Lord – if our lives are truly in His hands.
We may be going through toil and hardship now, earning money through our blood, sweat and tears, but we need to have faith, that God will make all things beautiful in His time. It’s all in God’s hand.
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
But Solomon also reminds us of another important aspect in our life:
11 ...He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
He has set eternity in our hearts. Deep in the heart of men we know eternity is there. We may not understand or comprehend it, but it’s there. We must be careful not to just work for today, but to set our hearts for eternity. Our hope in Christ is not just to bless us today, but also to prepare us for the day when we will be seeing Him face to face.
People who sin, who do wrong at work, who do things illegally just to get a quick buck – they live only for today. There are some Christians who compromise their faith, their righteousness, for the same reason – they live only for today. But someone who live for eternity lives preparing Himself to stand face to face before God.
As we live for eternity, for our Lord, this serves as the foundation for our work. Why be honest? Why deal with others righteously? Why do we give a fair price, or not compromise our faith? We live for eternity.
Jesus Himself said:
Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Of course we work for money, for we need it to take care of our needs. But as to how we earn that money, and how and where we spend it, is founded on our storing up treasures in heaven. When we live for eternity as a foundation of our life everything we do is in preparation for the time we will stand before God face to face.
So what should we be working for?
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God.
Solomon said there is nothing better than:
1. To be happy. This sounds like a famous line of a politician – “gusto ko happy ka”. But this is God telling us that He wants us to be happy. But where does true happiness come from? Material things? Possessions? Position? No. True Happiness comes from God Himself. It is our pursuit of God, our devotion to Him, our worship and fellowship with Him, that gives us true happiness.
2. To do good. There is nothing else that gives joy to a Christian than doing good. If doing good is a burden for us, then we’re probably not Christian at all. Doing good for us should not be an option, but a life that God wants us to be living – always.
3. That everyone may eat and drink. It should be as simple as that – that we are eating and drinking. It’s not really about what we are eating and drinking, but that God is providing for our every need, no matter how simple or extravagant it may be.
4. That we may find satisfaction in all our toil. Yes, we will still toil. But it is God who will give us the satisfaction from our work. There are many who live in the TGIF world (Thank God It’s Friday), when we should be thankful that we have work, and that it is God who has blessed us with the work. And that our workplace becomes the venue where our trust and faith in God is expressed, and also seen by others.
Yes we may toil, and our work may be burdensome. But if we see God’s hand in our work we will be blessed. When we know that He will make all things beautiful in His time, when we see that all happiness and satisfaction comes from Him, it lightens the burden and gives us joy and peace in our hearts. That’s God’s hand in our work.
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