Joy in the Toil

i stumbled upon a passage of Scripture this afternoon that has not let me go. the reason for this is simply because of the practicality of it in my life. today began a new school year, and as most people know about me, school is not my idea of enjoyment. sitting in classes all day, doing endless work for a letter ranging from an A to an F.....like i said, not my idea of fun. and thus, i am hooked on a passage of Ecclesiastes.

please, dont stop here.

grab a Bible and go read it yourself. start in chapter two, verse 17 and read through the end of the chapter. throughout this passage the writer, Solomon, speaks of toil, work, and how pointless it is. i have to admit, this is often the attitude i take with schooling. i love to learn, but i hate the work of school. but there is something Solomon points out towards the end, that i think we all need to be reminded of.

joy will only be found when we please God.

not just your normal, buy a new car joy, but a joy that is lasting and fulfilling.

see, one of the reasons Solomon began to despair over his toil was that he was more focused on himself. he was more concerned with what would happen to all of his efforts after he was gone, that they would all be taken by those who did nothing to gain them. this i believe is often the same mentality we have, more concerned with ourselves and our achievements. more concerned with those around us, and what they might do with our achievements. more concerned with the relevancy of what we study to what we will do in life.

here is our down fall.

and then, Solomon speaks some light. he points out in verse 25 that without God man cannot find enjoyment. that, without God, man will never find true joy. for it is, as he points out in the following verse, only found by pleasing God.

ah, the key.

joy is not found in the work itself, but in pleasing God by being faithful in our work.

after all, we are all going to die one day. it will all be forgotten here on the earth. but God remembers our faithfulness. God gives joy to those who please Him.

let us keep working with the true goal in mind.