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Work: It’s all meaningless

Work: It’s all meaningless

Last updated on: November 11, 2011 at 6:48 am by David Rupert

Work: It’s all meaningless 2011-11-11T06:48:00-06:00 David Rupert

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I have worked in places that are “toxic waste dumps”

Either I work on cleaning them up – or I get infected .. and die

ASK: What defines your perspective, how you see things?

Friends, media, coworkers, parents

Same goes for work.

When you cop an attitude, ask, “where did that come from?”

Work – and all that comes with it, will never make you happy. You have to have a perspective, a world view that work fits into.

Solomon Writes:

Eccl 2:17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Eccl 2:22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?

Eccl 2:23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless

IF you look for ultimate fulfillment in your job, you will be left hanging. You’ll be dissatisfied. But with the proper perspective, you can have a great job – NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO!

With being said, let me give you

THREE PRINCIPLES FOR FINDING PUROSE IN YOUR PROFESSION

1- You cannot find purpose in how much you make

If you chose a job strictly on the wage, I guarantee you – you will be miserable

A very successful lawyer parked his brand new Jaguar in front t of his office, ready to show it off to his colleagues. As he was getting out of the car, a truck came too close and completely tore the drivers door off the Jag. Very soon a policeman arrived , but before he could do anything, the lawyer was screaming hysterically. His brand new Jag, just one day old, was wrecked and probably would never be the same and why didn’t the policeman do something about it.

After the lawyer finally wound down form his rant, the cop shook his head in disgust and disbelief. He said “I can’t believe how materialistic you lawyers are. You are so focused on your possessions that you didn’t even notice that your left arm is missing from the elbow down? It must have tore off when the truck hit you.”

The lawyer looked down. “My God” he screamed, “My Rolex!”

Solomon writes:

Eccl 2:7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.

Eccl 2:8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces

I don’t care how much you have, you want more

Its the american way– we are consumers first. Humans second.

Are you looking for meaning within the clutches of money?

Are you looking for a replacement for God in the dollars in your account, in your investments, in your possessions your retirement

They will rust, rot and never fill you up.

It is no surprise that shopping has become modern Americans God of sorts. The accumulation of possessions is the way we find fulfillment. The brands we buy establish our sense of belonging with a paticular social group. Our possessions define our identitty.

The ancient and modern myth is that just a little more will be just enough

2 – Do not try find God through through Achievement or its Twin, Power

If you only work to ‘get ahead,’ you will be disappointed. The constant scrambling for position and influence is exhausting…and leads to sinful behavior

I f you havent read the book, “Into Thin Air” you need to. Its about a fatal ascent of Mount Everest. The writer chronicles the climbing profession and how each of the enthusiasts try to one up the others. They try to climb the peaks the fastest, or they take new paths, or climb multiple peaks in successive months. They try using primitive equipment and leave the oxygen tanks at home. They are constantly reaching for the most outlandish, the most outrageous, t he most breathtaking ascent of every mountain. And yet , still they are not satisfied.

Eccl 2:4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.

Eccl 2:5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

Eccl 2:6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.

Eccl 2:9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

What is the emphasis in these verses?

I amassed. I became. I bought. I was. I did.

He realizes in verse 11 that all the things that he did amounted to little more than a hill of beans.

Eccl 2:11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

You see, our society places great emphasis on human accomplishment.

We have thousands of institutions of higher learning in our country And yet, I can name the truly intelligent people in my life on one hand.

We have massive inter states, water systems , telephone links, microwave relays and space shuttles

We have All the modern conveniences and yet not one of these has touched my heart when I am sad

No sport, no pleasure, no endeavor will replace your need for a Savior. Nothing can possibly supplant your inner desire for God.

When we try to fill the ache, the void with things that are not from above, with the impermanent, with the transient, we are ultimately frustrated.

Doing well at work is good and honorable, but it is a poor substitution for ultimate purpose in God.

In your career, do well. Work hard. Make money for your company. Share your faith. Be a bulwark of industriousness…for the glory of God – not for your own glory

3—Be wary of pleasure

Chuck Colson calls Hedonism one of the four horsemen of the age. Hedonism is the endless devotion to pleasure. This aptly describes our present culture. We are pleasure seekers. From our cars, to our homes , to our hobbies to our sports to our clothes to our sexual appetite to our food to our drugs and alcohol —- we are hopelessly addicted to pleasure

Eccl 2:1 I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

But the problem with pleasure is that it is fleeting.

Society tells us that we will be full only when restraint is thrown to the wind

Something we have all learned is that freedom without any restraint is indeed a cruel a task master — it burdens and enslaves us

We cannot eat at the buffett table, gorging ourselves, without coming away feeling a little strange

Not every job is pleasurable. There are dirty jobs. There are duties you just don’t want to do. That’s why they call it WORK. We cannot be coddled.

CONCLUSION

So how is your life?

Do you feel the ache

Do you feel the void

Are you frustrated and empty by life’s pursuit

True meaning and purpose is found in God. Anything short of this realization is a chasing after the wind.

God is the one who fills every craving, every longing

Invest in eternity

Turn your pursuits over to the Almighty

Invest your thoughts, your passions, your desires in the Eternal clutches of Your Saviors

End of Ecclesiastes Eccl 12:13-14 NIV) now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this are the whole duty of man.

You can find purpose and meaning once again

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