TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 2:24-26
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. - Psalm 127:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
One medical expert has said that the pervasive presence of cell phones, fax machines, beepers, and other devices has created a situation in which many people are working twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, even when they’re not technically at work. The expert calls this a formula for “first-class exhaustion.” The same publication reported the case of a young man who collapsed on his couch in total exhaustion and slept for a full week after graduating from business school!

If a week’s worth of napping on the couch sounds like a good idea to you, you also may be suffering from mental and physical exhaustion. This graduate’s case may not be as isolated as it sounds at first. There are many people who need to take a week off and do something to regain their strength. Summer vacations used to help, but now they often seem to be as frantic as the rest of the year.

We can’t give you a week off, but we can go to the Word and spend a week with practical and refreshing advice on how to bring some biblical balance to life. You may want to use a bookmark to keep your place in Ecclesiastes, because we are going to be in this fascinating book for the next seven days.

You may be a real fan of Ecclesiastes, or among those who find it puzzling and pessimistic. What’s interesting is that although Solomon did have much to say about the futility of life in general and work in particular, his conclusions at the end of each section are invariably upbeat and even encouraging. We’re going to study these wise pieces of advice.

It has been said that only Solomon could have written this book. Talk about the dream job--the wisest and richest person on earth, and a greatly admired king. Most people have a hard time believing someone like Solomon would be unable to sleep because of mental and spiritual distress (v. 23).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What is the most satisfying part of your work? Have you ever thought of making it the focus of your praise for a day?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 4:4-12
Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. - Ecclesiastes 4:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
The late British Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan gave this powerful description of what a lust for money does to a person: “It dries up the springs of compassion in the soul. It lowers the whole standard of morality. It is the inspiration of all the basest things, even covetousness. . . . Avarice is often created by prosperity and the consequent possession of money. It is also often powerfully present in the lives of those who are devoid of wealth. It is wholly material, the result of a wrong conception of life.”

That’s quite a list of evils. Solomon had seen enough of life to agree that there are some wrong and futile motives for working hard and trying to be successful. He explained two of them here, and then offered an antidote. We need to learn what Solomon learned from experience and wise observation.

The first wrong motive is envy. Verse 4 is true from the sinful world’s standpoint--exactly the perspective from which Solomon wrote, as the term “under the sun” indicates.

But the answer to the driving force of envy is not foolish laziness, which also brings a person to ruin (v. 5). The cure is contentment, being willing to settle for less materially if it means we can have some “rest” or “quietness,” good alternate translations for tranquillity.

The next evil motive is greed (vv. 7-8), illustrated by the person who is driven to always get more even though he has no one to share it with and will someday leave it all to nobody.

At least this hypothetical overachiever finally woke up and realized he was beating his head against the wall and missing out on life because he was all alone in his world. One way to conquer greed is by refusing to live our lives in isolation from other people. Connection and meaningful relationships with other people help overcome both loneliness and greed.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
No matter where you work or what you do for a living, we hope you have some godly friends who form a “cord of three strands [that] is not quickly broken” (v. 12).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 5:10-12
The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much. - Ecclesiastes 5:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
Since the Sacagawea dollar was introduced in late January, the U.S. Mint has made hundreds of millions of the gold-colored coins. But these coins, which honor the Shoshone Indian woman who was an interpreter on the Lewis and Clark expedition, seem to be having circulation problems. A newspaper report in May said that relatively few people were using Sacagawea dollars, although 500 million had been minted by that time. The reason is that people are apparently collecting Sacagaweas instead of using them--either because of their novelty or because people think the coins will be valuable someday.

The problem of loving and hoarding money is not a new phenomenon. Some people who have a Sacagawea dollar or two will want to add them to their collection--just in case the coins become valuable.

The result of this is summed up in verse 11. Solomon didn’t have coin collecting in mind when he wrote these words, but the Sacagawea situation illustrates the problem. In fact, the government is worried that as more Sacagawea coins are put into circulation, more people will collect instead of use them. But the only benefit to the coin owners will be a stack of coins they can feast their eyes on.

This part of Ecclesiastes isn’t one of the book’s summaries, and the writer doesn’t offer any particular advice. But the beginning of verse 12 makes it clear that gaining real satisfaction and enjoyment from our work has nothing to do with what we have, but with what has us.

God warns us against wearing ourselves out to accumulate money and the stuff it can buy not because He doesn’t want us to enjoy ourselves. Solomon says repeatedly that God is the only source of true satisfaction. God warns us about loving money because it can replace our love for Him (Matt. 6:24), and devour the people who chase after it.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We have heard this admonition before, but we still need to be reminded of it. Greed and contentment have nothing to do with the amount of money we have.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
You are to rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to. - Deuteronomy 12:18b
TODAY IN THE WORD
There is more to the story of the new Sacagawea dollar we told you about yesterday. The U.S. Mint expects to have one billion of the gold-colored coins in circulation by the end of summer. But the government is so concerned about people hoarding instead of spending the one-dollar coins that it has launched a $40 million advertising campaign to help the Sacagawea’s circulation. The message is simple: “It’s money. So use it.” Putting it in biblical terms, we could say the message is, “If you’ve earned the money, enjoy the fruit of your hard work.”

That’s the message that Ecclesiastes conveys. Solomon isn’t saying just to go out, spend freely, and live it up. And he certainly isn’t teaching the kind of pagan fatalism and surrender to pleasure embodied in the idea, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”

At the same time, Solomon recognizes the legitimate enjoyment of honestly earned income. He keeps telling us that the ability to work and gain satisfaction and income are wonderful gifts from God. If we receive these gifts and use them in ways God approves, we will find the enjoyment Ecclesiastes describes.

The money God gives us from our work isn’t meant to be hoarded. When that happens, the result is invariably harm to the money’s owner (Eccl. 5:13).

Are you bothered by the idea of having to accept our “lot” in life? As we said above, the Bible doesn’t teach fatalism. Some commentators say a better translation of the word “accept” (v. 19) would be “receive,” suggesting that our life situation is also a gift from God’s hand.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Here’s another exercise you can do to reinforce the value and benefits of honest, hard, God-honoring work.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 8:14-17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. - James 1:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
Sometimes, when two completely different sets of standards collide, the result can be very costly. That’s what happened last year when a NASA space probe to Mars was lost. The Lockheed Martin company and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory used different measurements. Lockheed did its calculations in pounds and feet, while the Laboratory used the metric system of kilograms and meters. The two standards were never coordinated on the project, and the $125 million spacecraft got too close to Mars and either broke apart or burned up.

That can also happen in the spiritual realm when we use our limited, human standards trying to figure out an infinite God and reduce Him to our terms. We’ll crash and burn on that project in a hurry, because God hasn’t chosen to share all of His ways with us.

Let’s trust Solomon’s wise counsel. He became concerned with life’s unfairness, observing that people did not always get what it seemed they deserved. So he had to understand what God did and why He did it.

Solomon stayed awake night and day to observe the world around him and to arrive at a satisfying answer to his questions. But he concluded that the more he tried to unravel God’s ways, the more impossible that became.

Therefore, Solomon turned to a familiar piece of advice: accept the good things God gives us and leave the unsolved mysteries to Him. Again, this is not passive fatalism, but an active decision to leave our questions with God and get on with the things He has given us to do.

Solomon was not saying that finding contentment in our work will solve all the riddles of life. In fact, it’s because life is often so hard to explain that we need to get past the futile exercise of trying to make sense out of everything.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We often hear people say that it’s OK to doubt, that God is big enough to handle our doubts, and so on.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 9:7-10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
During the Civil War, Union general George McClellan became well known for being hesitant to respond to the enemy and move his army out into the battle. In 1862, two Union soldiers found a copy of the Confederate army’s detailed plans for a campaign in western Maryland, and gave the plans to McClellan. Despite this advantage, McClellan was reluctant and timid in his attack, and the battle of Antietam turned into a bloody carnage.

General McClellan had no reason to hold back with the battle plans in his hands. The time of opportunity was short, and he needed the resolve to move out and take advantage of the moment, which is really what Solomon is calling us to do in today’s reading. The setting is very different, of course, but the principle is the same. Life is short, so enjoy God’s goodness.

The context for these verses may not seem very upbeat. The subject was the certainty of death for everyone. We might expect Solomon to offer gloomy advice after reflecting on death and its finality.

Once again, the wisest person who ever lived counseled his readers to lay aside thoughts of gloom and the shortness of life, and accept what God has given. In case that recurring word “meaningless” bothers you, remember that Ecclesiastes isn’t the Bible’s only word on the meaning of life.

Besides, it is true that many things that perturb people mean very little in light of eternity. Solomon was helping us bypass the emptiness for something that mattered.

Ecclesiastes doesn’t tell us to lie down and quit, and neither does it encourage us to spend our days on a mountain trying to solve the mysteries of life. You have to appreciate the practicality of the things Solomon urges us to enjoy: physical nourishment, love and companionship . . . and work!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
White clothing and anointing oil (v. were signs of rejoicing and gladness. They weren’t necessities in the same sense as food and drink.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle. - Ecclesiastes 11:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
Maybe you’ve seen the bumper sticker, “I’m not indecisive . . . am I?” We hesitate to mow the lawn or wash the car because it might rain. Or we keep putting off a decision until we’re positive that nothing will go wrong.

There’s nothing wrong with caution. But indecision can be paralyzing when it becomes a way of life, and some people go though life without ever being sure of anything or taking even the smallest risk. After a week of studying Ecclesiastes, we can understand why Solomon tells us to make the most of our God-given opportunities.

The context of these verses is one of the familiar themes of Ecclesiastes: we don’t know the future, and we can’t figure out what God does or how He does it. Three times Solomon said, “You do not know” (vv. 2, 5, 6), and for good measure he added, “You cannot understand” (v. 5).

We already know that Solomon did not consider life’s shortness or its mysteries as reasons to crawl in a hole and hide. In fact, he used the examples of sea trading and farming to say, “Don’t wait for conditions to be perfect, because that will never happen. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. So go ahead, ship your grain out and plant your seed today while you can.”

That’s very practical advice for workers, whether you’re investing in the stock market or mowing lawns. We’re not only being urged to try, but to try different things in the hope that some will succeed. This doesn’t mean changing jobs every few months. The Bible is giving us permission to explore to the fullest the gifts and opportunities we receive from God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today, it seems like the only people giving Ecclesiastes-type advice are the secular self-help gurus who have a video and a course to sell.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Haggai 1:1-11
Give careful thought to your ways. - Haggai 1:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
According to the program AD 2000 and Beyond, there are about 260 people groups in the world that still need to hear the gospel. There are also 1,120 people groups that don’t have a church of 100 or more members among them.

God’s people still have plenty of work to do when it comes to obeying Christ and fulfilling the Great Commission. And we have been reminded this month that one of the reasons God wants us to work is to be able to support His work. Speaking through the prophet Haggai, God warned Israel not to forget His work as they went about their own tasks.

Today’s devotional begins the fifth section of the study on work, a five-day series on precautions for workers. The Bible teaches us how to keep several clear priorities in mind as we work, and then how to use the income and other benefits work provides. These precautions are easy to forget or set aside when life gets busy, but each one is too important to neglect.

God’s message to His people through Haggai is a good example of this. Haggai was the first prophet to speak to Israel after the people returned from exile in Babylon. Rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem was high on God’s priority list. After a good start on the temple, however, the exiles became preoccupied with building their own houses. Work on the temple stopped for about fifteen years.

But this was not what God intended. The temple was central to Israel’s worship, the place where God came to live among His people. By neglecting the temple the people were not only being disobedient. Their lack of concern reflected a deeper problem of spiritual apathy.

God had tried to get their attention in the most dramatic ways possible. He had withdrawn His blessing on their work in the fields and the vineyards, so that they got little return for their efforts. And even when they did earn a wage, God cut holes in the bottom of their pockets.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One obvious way to take care of God’s work is through our giving, which includes our money, our time, and our abilities.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 20:8-11; Psalm 127:1-2
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. - Exodus 20:9-10
TODAY IN THE WORD
A skilled potter once told a friend that he decided which kind of project to work on based on how tired or rested he was. The potter said that when he was tired and overworked, he didn’t have the focus or the patience to make something beautiful, so he tended to make very ordinary pots. But when he was rested, he was ready to tackle a project that required much attention to detail.

Most people do their best work when they’re rested. None of us can work indefinitely without feeling the harmful effects or making costly mistakes. Rest is not a luxury. God created in us a necessity for rest and recuperation.

God not only designed people to rest one day a week, He commanded it. And He gave us the best example of all when He rested from His work of creating the universe (Gen. 2:2-3). For Israel, the importance of the Sabbath was determined when God made it the fourth of His Ten Commandments. The Sabbath wasn’t just a day to relax in the lawn chair--it was a holy day of service and worship.

Some people disagree about whether we should keep the seventh day. But the church’s day of worship is the first day, the Lord’s day (Rev. 1:10). Many believers also practice God’s principle of rest on this day.

So the precaution for today is, don’t forget to rest. There are many good reasons to take a day off from work, including the mental and physical recharge a day of rest gives us. We also need to give the people who work for and with us their opportunity for rest.

But resting involves more than the benefits to body and mind. First, it’s an issue of honoring and obeying God. When we rest from our work we imitate God’s example, and take Him at His word that He knows what we need better than we do.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
A store in a large metropolitan area recently put a sign on the door, explaining that the store would be closed on Sundays so its employees could worship and be with their families.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Proverbs 6:6-11
He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. - Proverbs 10:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
One day a lazy boy went on a blueberry-picking trip into the woods with his mother. The boy played around instead of picking berries; when it came time to leave, he hurriedly stuffed his pail with moss and covered it with a thin layer of blueberries. His mother made blueberry pies the next day, and the boy’s mouth watered as he saw the pie his mother had made especially for him. Hot blueberry juice oozed from the slits in the piecrust--but when he cut into the pie he discovered it was mostly moss.

A plateful of moss is a good object lesson about the tasteless “fruit” that laziness produces. No one wants to be addressed as a “sluggard,” but Solomon was using the term rhetorically to get his readers’ attention. The term is used only in the Proverbs, which makes sense for a book of wise advice and precautions about life.

Ants are known for their hard-working ways. They are not only busy, but they are also productive, putting away food while the weather is good so they can eat in winter.

A lazy person’s bad habits may not bring instant trouble, but the payoff of poverty will inevitably come. This was obvious to everyone in a farming society where the failure to plant crops left the fields empty at harvest time. Another proverb pictures a sluggard going out to his field at harvest time looking for food, only to find nothing because he didn’t plant anything (Prov. 20:4).

The physical and financial problems of laziness aren’t the only problem. The Proverbs also contrast lazy people to those who are “upright” (15:19) and “righteous” (21:25-26). Apparently, a person’s lack of desire to work and provide for his family is a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God wants us to grow into full maturity. Accountability is one of the ways to overcome spiritual laziness. It includes encouraging--both in word and deed--those around us to be responsible in all areas of work.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 5:17
Respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his inspiring book, Too Soon to Quit, former MBI President, Dr. George Sweeting, includes a warm tribute to his boyhood pastor in New Jersey, Herrmann G. Braunlin. Pastor Braunlin served the Hawthorne Gospel Church for sixty-two years, impacting countless lives by his godly example and ministry. More than a thousand people attended Pastor Braunlin’s memorial service in 1995, a testimony to the love that people had for their pastor.

Many of us have been deeply influenced by a pastor, missionary, Christian club leader, campus ministry director, or some other person whose life’s work was the work of Christ.

We can’t do a complete study on the subject of work without taking time to consider the men and women whom God has called into His service. The Bible urges and cautions the church not to forget God’s workers, because they also deserve a good return for their hard work.

When this topic comes up, most Christians think of the passages of Scripture that teach us to take care of God’s workers. First Timothy 5 is one of those passages. Ever since the law of Moses, God’s plan has been that His people use part of their crops or herds or income to pay those whose full-time work is serving in His house.

But there’s more to it than making sure that the preacher gets a decent paycheck every week, or that the missionaries have adequate support to meet their needs. The issue of honor and respect, which was obviously of great concern to Paul, is very important.

The various churches that the apostle either established or ministered to were still in their early stages when most of the New Testament was written. Believers like those in Thessalonica and Ephesus (where Timothy served) were just getting used to the idea that some people’s work was taking care of the church, and that God wanted them to support the workers He sent to them.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As Christians, we are all God’s workers, since everything we do is to be done for Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19
Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. - 1 Timothy 6:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
According to a recent report, the wind carries elements such as dust and pollutants farther than scientists ever thought possible. The results of this are both good and bad. On the good side, it is estimated that some thirteen million tons of windblown dust fall on the Amazon region every year. Most of this dust comes from Africa’s Sahara Desert, and it contains valuable nutrients. But the wind has also carried pesticides such as DDT as far as Antarctica, and the Arctic skies are often clouded by pollution.

The wind and its effects are similar to money and its effects. Like the wind, money is by itself morally neutral. But money is also such a powerful force that it sweeps a lot of things along with it, and produces some good and bad effects. People can use money to spread good around the world. But it can also poison the lives of people who have it or want it.

We have already talked about the dangers of falling in love with money and material things, but let’s look again in the context of what we do to make a living. The vast majority of people make their money from their jobs or some other form of income-producing activity.

Paul’s precaution against attaching our hearts to our bank accounts takes on an added urgency in a culture that tempts people with the dream of instant wealth by buying a lottery ticket or hitting it big at the casino. Books have been written and films made about the grief that has pierced the lives of people who fell into the destructive trap of a get-rich-quick fantasy.

That particular danger may seem like a stretch from where you live every day--and we hope it is. But the danger of letting money become our first love can also reach us in the ordinary daily routine of making a living.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Just as the wind leaves visible evidence of its power, so too does money. If you look back on the events of your life, you can probably see the benefits--and perhaps some hard lessons--that money has provided you over the years.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Corinthians 10:31-33; Colossians 3:15
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. - Colossians 3:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
A Christian camp used to have a sign over the kitchen sink that announced, “Worship services held here three times daily.” Depending on your attitude toward washing dishes, you may think a sign like this is either cute or cruel. But whoever posted that sign understood theological truth that needs to be recaptured in a world that would like to confine God within the walls of the church sanctuary.

We need to turn our workplaces into praise and worship centers because we’re working for God’s glory in the name of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have called the last section of this study “Praise and Our Work” (see the August 1 study).

Let’s refer to Paul again for our model. Anybody who could preach the gospel and make tents, serving God with the same gusto in both jobs, has something to teach us.

Paul was explaining to the Corinthians the importance of applying the “glory of God” principle in something as ordinary as a meal invitation from a pagan neighbor (1 Cor. 10:27-30). If you can’t eat with a clear conscience to God’s glory, Paul says, don’t do it. Then the apostle broadened the principle to any and every activity, which includes our work.

If we’re working with that motive, and putting the good of others ahead of our own, we won’t have to worry about being a bad testimony for the gospel at the workplace.

In Colossians, Paul was writing about our calling as Christians. Notice the inner qualities that precede the command to do everything in Christ’s name. First, we need the peace of Christ to stand guard in our hearts. If our workplaces are going to be worship centers, they need to be places of peace.

Then, Paul says we need the life-giving nourishment of God’s Word. This doesn’t mean just having the Word close at hand, but close at heart. If our lives are being enriched by the Word, that will come out at work.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Imagine going to work with God’s peace and His Word ruling inside of us, and gratitude to Him coming out of our mouths.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Revelation 22:1-5
The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. - Revelation 22:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
Maybe you have heard the news that the bloodied, devastated city of Sarajevo wants to host the Olympics Games once again. The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a shining jewel when it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. But then Communism fell and the Yugoslav federation disintegrated, followed by a vicious ethnic war over which the world still shudders. A recent television program showed a former Olympic playing field in Sarajevo that is now a cemetery packed tightly with simple white markers.

It seems like an impossible dream for the people of Sarajevo to restore the city to Olympic glory and splendor. But if that ever does happen, we’ll have a glimpse of what will happen to the ruins of this world when Christ returns and establishes His glory on earth.

The glories of heaven are described in Revelation, and at the climax of John’s vision we learn an interesting truth. We are going to be working and serving God for all eternity! As it turns out, the work God has given us to do for His glory and praise down here is really a “practice run,” getting us tuned up for the real thing in heaven.

You don’t need to worry about being bored and unemployed in your heavenly home, because God has an eternity’s worth of fulfilling, totally satisfying service for us to perform in heaven. Revelation 22 pictures the restoration of all the good things that were lost in Eden when Adam and Eve sinned.

For instance, the Bible says the tree of life will be in the heavenly city. Since tending the trees of the garden was part of Adam’s original job description, could it be that part of our work in heaven will be tending God’s once-again-perfect paradise? Many Bible teachers also believe God’s eternal kingdom will be made up of various realms and governmental bodies that will need management and oversight.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We’ve said a lot about the importance and value of work. But there is one vital area where all our hard work won’t earn us anything--our eternal destiny.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. - Ecclesiastes 12:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
We can’t finish this issue of Today in the Word until we have heard “the conclusion of the matter” (v. 13). Since that was Solomon’s concern too, the book of Ecclesiastes gives us a good closing word.

Ecclesiastes is not the final revelation from God on issues such as work. But remember that Solomon’s advice comes to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Old Testament professor and biblical writer Donald Glenn notes the following about Solo-mon’s summary: “Solomon counseled his readers to enjoy life in the fear of God as God enables.” What does this mean for us in our work?

The most important piece of advice Ecclesiastes has for us is to fear God, or reverence Him and worship Him for who He is. We can live out the fear of God at work by working every day as if He alone were both our only Customer and the only Boss we would ever have to please.

Keeping God’s commandments also becomes very practical in our work. We are commanded to do everything to God’s glory in the name of Christ, to care for God’s workers, and to honor God with the resources He supplies. If that sounds like a heavy duty, remember that God has built enough satisfaction, challenge, and pure pleasure into human work that we can actually enjoy what we do to the fullest.

Solomon says that these things apply to every person (v. 14, an alternative to the translation, “This is the whole duty of man”). As far as Solomon is concerned, this is the answer. This is how a person enjoys life even in a world that is often unfair and puzzling, filled with things that are ultimately meaningless in terms of eternity.

Fearing and obeying God encompasses every part of our life. The New Testament’s specific commands and principles concerning work could easily fit into one of these categories. Solomon’s final reminder that God will judge everything impartially helps to remind us that as Christians, we will stand before Christ someday to give Him an account of our work (1 Cor. 3:10-15).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One good way to finish this study would be to review some of the lessons or principles that have stood out to you or met a particular need.