Thursday, April 11
At some point, we have to make the choice about what we want to do with our lives in terms of a job or career. Unless independently wealthy or working full-time at home taking care of the house and family (the most noble of all occupations), many people have to choose a path as far as earning a living goes.
Of course, we all exist in certain circumstances that can, to a great degree, limit our choices regarding a career. But within whatever sphere we exist, we can make choices regarding our occupation that, especially in the context of knowing that we have salvation in Jesus Christ, can give our lives added meaning and purpose. In short, whatever we do, we can do for the glory of God.
What mistake did Solomon make, and how can we be careful not to do something similar? Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.
We don’t need to be rich to get caught up in the same trap that Solomon did. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10, NKJV). One can be poor and love money just as much as someone does who is rich.
Yes, we need to earn a living, but regardless of what we do or how much we make, we need not make the pursuit of wealth an idol. Many families, too, have suffered from a father who, obsessed with making money, neglected the family in order to try to get rich. How many children, or spouses, would have preferred a humbler lifestyle over an impoverished relationship with their father? In most cases, people would have preferred the former over the latter.
From Creation, God planned for work to be part of life (Genesis 2:15). The danger is when we make our work the center of our life, or it becomes a means of solely acquiring wealth for ourselves. This is the mistake Solomon made. He was searching for meaning in those projects, and even though many brought him a degree of satisfaction, at the end he figured out that they were meaningless.
Someone once said: “How many people, at the end of their lives, wished they had spent more time in the office and less time with their family?” What’s the important message in this statement?
