Nov 14 Sermon
November 21, 2010
Confessions of a Workaholic
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, 11:9-12:7
One author’s commentary on Ecclesiastes is called, “Confessions of a Workaholic.” But it’s a bleak view of work, isn’t it? James Dee Richardson said, “If hard work were really a virtue, then mules would be saints.” Richardson might have got on well with Solomon.
J.C. Penney, founder of the U.S. retail chain, said, “Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top.” But when you get to the top, is it worth it? That’s Solomon’s haunting question. Jesus will ask a similar troubling question: “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
A biblical perspective on work … (Ecclesiastes 2:17-26)
Neither Jesus nor Solomon are saying that hard work is not important! Both of them worked hard! Jesus tells several parables about work, assuming it is the norm (Matthew 20:1-16, 21:28-31). “My food,” Jesus says when his friends urge Him to eat, “comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work” (John 4:34). Jesus life was not one of laziness – indeed he struggled to get “time off,” to spend alone, in prayer. In the early church, certainly Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, Silas, and Luke worked hard. But many other people are commended for their efforts: for example, Paul writes, “Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord” (Romans 16:12). It’s good to celebrate unsung heros!
We were created for work. Back in Genesis, the first human beings were created to “tend and watch over” God’s creation (2:15). Even before the fall, we were designed to be doing things – actively working – for the Lord. What will we be doing in heaven? We really don’t know all the details (the Bible is frustratingly vague), but three things are clear: there will be rest (Hebrews 4:9-11), worship (Revelation 19, and service, not unlike that original call in Genesis 2 (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:28-30, Revelation 22:3).
Work is part of who are created to be. We are not created to sit around slothfully: doing nothing is ultimately not satisfying. Here is some wisdom to think about regarding work:
•“Opportunity is often missed because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” (Thomas Edison)
•“The individual activity of one man with backbone will do more than a thousand men with a mere wishbone.” (William J.H. Boetcker, Presbyterian minister)
•“If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut.” (Albert Einstein)
•“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” (Henry Ford)
•“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” (Augustine, 354-430 AD)
Unfortunately Solomon hadn’t heard any of this counsel. He became a class workaholic. And at the end of it all, he wrestles with disillusionment: “I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work” (2:24).
But then God gives him insight, “Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?” (2:24-25). Work – and food, drink and other pleasures in life – are all gifts from the hand of God. Have you ever thought of work – whether it’s paid work, volunteer work, school work, house work, yard work – as a gift from God? How so? What does work do for us? What would be like if we had no work to do? Would it really be fulfilling? Meaningful? Purposeful?
But God gives us life, in balance. Work is not all we’re about. We are not our work. Our work does not define who we are. You are not, primarily, a student, police officer, teacher, retired person, homemaker, soup kitchen helper, labourer, carpenter … That is work you do – it is a good gift from God. But primarily you are a unique, beloved person, created by God in His image. Your primary identity is as God’s beloved creation. Secondly, you are defined by your relationships with other people – you are so-and-so’s spouse, parent, child, friend, neighbour. Perhaps third, you may be recognized by the gift of work to which God has called you.
When we discover that balance – between work and enjoying God’s other blessings – we discover “God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please (in the sense of love) him” (2:26). The truly wise, intelligent and joyfully content people are those who enjoy all God’s gifts – the gift of work and the gifts of relationships, recreation, and Sabbath rest. Mother Teresa writes, "You may be exhausted with work, you may even kill yourself, but unless your work is interwoven with love, it is useless. To work without love is slavery."
Why is this important?
Because if things go badly at work or school … the real foundational identity of who you are as a person is not compromised. Nothing and no one can separate you from the love of God and that primary identity you have as a beloved child of God. And if things go poorly at work, your secondary identity – in relationship with other people – is not in jeopardy either. You can make it through the tough times at work or school when you appreciate that the two basic cornerstones of your identity – that you are God’s beloved son or daughter, and your relationships with other people – are not threatened. Underneath it all, you are God’s child.
A biblical perspective on life … (Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 and 12:1-7)
Solomon struggles to get it. In both Ecclesiastes 11 (7-8) and 12 (1-7) he wrestles with how to find meaning in life, living, as we all do, under the shadow of death.
How do we live? “The biblical view of life is that it is designed to be lived in humility and obedience before God, accepting the limitations that are placed on us as mortal beings and finding joy and satisfaction in the ordinary things of life …” writes Iain Provan. “Following this narrow pathway may not gain us entry into Encyclopedia Britannica or Who’s Who. We will, however, be found in the book of life, which has different entry qualifications. At the end of time, in fact, it is those who have done the ordinary things well who will ‘gain’ something, not those who have sacrificed these things for some grander scheme. Those who have found joy in such things will know greater joy; those who have depended on God for wisdom will know yet more wisdom; and those who have lived their lives in the knowledge that death is the ultimate statement in human non control will rise to new life beyond death.”
Ecclesiastes 11 and 12 challenge us to live life well! Living well includes:
•living wisely: “remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do” (11:9).
•living joyfully: “Rejoice in every day of life” (11:5). “Enjoy every minute of it” (11:9)
•living fully: “Do everything you want to do” (11:9).
•living worry free: “Refuse to worry / banish anxiety from your heart” (11:10).
•living in a healthy way: “Keep your body healthy” (11:10).
We often emphasize the first one – and present Christian living as a list of “Thou shalt nots …” Many of these are right and good. Passages like the 10 commandments, the ethical teachings of Jesus and Paul are critically important. We need to know them. We need to obey them.
But following Jesus is not just a matter of not doing wrong things. It’s also a matter of doing right things! And among those right things a healthy enjoyment of a full life – appreciating God’s blessings of work, family, friends, recreation, rest … even good food and hospitality! Our good, great, creator God has made all things good, not only to keep us alive, but so that we might find enjoyment in them. He has made a gorgeously beautiful world as well as a brilliantly functional one. God could have created a purely functional world dull, boring, and sterile (like concrete tenements); instead he created a fantastic world (beyond the most exotic condos we could imagine). God has created this world to give us joy!
Like any good thing, if we over-indulge in these gifts, they can become negative. But kept in healthy balance, we can enjoy life as God intends us to enjoy it! Sometimes we give the impression that anything fun must be bad! It’s not! Life has many, many joys – gifts from God – if we stop and “smell the roses.” Enjoy them! They are God’s good gifts to you.
Iain Provan writes, “As we walk this pathway (living in humility and obedience before God, accepting the imitations that are placed on us as mortal beings and finding joy and satisfaction in the ordinary things of life), we will be ‘surprised by joy’ (to borrow the title of C.S. Lewis’ autobiography).” Along life’s journey we will discover joy … if we take time to notice it.
So often we’re too busy, in too much of a rush, and too stressed to appreciate God’s gifts of joy, refreshment, peace, and comfort along the way. Slow down. Stop. Appreciate God’s blessings right now.
The key is to remember God – in every place, at every time, in each circumstance. “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,” writes Solomon (12:1) – that’s good advice for any stage in life! It’s easy – at any age – when things are good, life seems fun, and all the world is our oyster, to forget God. But one of the disciplines we need is to cultivate our relationship with God in the good times, so that when the hard times come (which inevitably they will) we have resources to draw on.
“Remembering God’” is more than just a casual not forgetting – it includes the idea of “paying attention to” and “recalling with the intention of obeying” the way we might remember our driving instructor’s advice on how to drive on icy roads.
What do we need to remember? He is with you always (Matthew 28:20). He is the friend who closer than a brother. His Holy Spirit is within you. So …
•Ask Him for moral wisdom and guidance in every circumstance. And remember that you do nothing in secret from the Lord.
•Ask Him to help you notice and appreciate His gifts to you today – and rejoice in them.
•Ask Him to help you live life to it fullest today, appreciating all the gifts He has given!
•Give all your cares and worries to Him – banish them from your heart!
•Go for a walk, enjoy the fresh air, eat well, and “smell the roses”!
“Joy is only a signpost on the journey, not its end …” concludes Provan. Ultimately the good gifts God gives us – work, family, friends, His creation – lead us to God. The greatest gift God offers us is a personal relationship with Himself. Throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon is concerned that we do the right thing – ultimately the right thing is to stand in awe of God, to revere God as God, to love God as our God. God is not a mean-spirited or harsh tyrant. He is not someone who creates a beautiful world then systematically tells us not to enjoy it. Work, recreation, family, friends – all these are God’s good gifts, for us to enjoy. He is the Creator who invites us to enjoy His creation … but also gives us wisdom for living wisely within it. We need to listen with the intention to obey His guidelines … and enjoy!
Augustine (345-430) wrote, “Love God (and by that he meant listen to Him and obey Him: ‘If you love me, obey my commandments’ [John 14:15]) … and enjoy your life!”
Copyright 2010 by Bruce Martin
First Baptist Church
1614 – 5th Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 0W3
(403) 327-2082
bruce@firstb.net