Day 159, Chronological Bible Study Timeline. Map. Go to today’s Bible reading (use your browser arrow to return): Ecclesiastes 3–6
Time Well Spent
How do most Americans spend their time? The answers vary, but according to a 2013-2014 Gallup Poll, most Americans spend an average of forty-seven hours working per week. Some Americans work much more than that, especially if they own their own business or have another job or two.
Many Americans don’t enjoy their work. They may be glad they even have a job in bad economic times, but how can they like it? How can we like ours? King Solomon offers some perspectives on using time and effort in today’s Bible reading.
Searching for Fulfillment
King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in the latter part of his reign. He was powerful and gathered vast treasuries of gold, silver, spices, and other precious items through alliances and trade. The king also planted beautiful gardens, built the temple and his palace, and did many projects. King Solomon accumulated horses and chariots for war. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines and wine for his pleasure.
Solomon still had great wisdom, but like many of us, he tried to sample worldly pleasures to see if he could find any fulfillment in them. Solomon’s conclusion about his pursuits was that everything was meaningless (or profitless) and had no lasting value (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
Earlier in his reign, Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs that the fear of the LORD is wisdom, and God’s blessing is upon the righteous. Perhaps we are wondering why Solomon didn’t follow his own advice.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes from a disillusioned heart. He made many mistakes. He wants his readers to revere the LORD so they might enjoy their lives. Genuine purpose and joy begin with a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Examining our Priorities
Although negative in tone, Ecclesiastes is a profitable book because it stimulates us to examine the priorities of our lives. What are the most important things? Solomon says there is a time and season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).Sometimes unavoidable events happen in our lives, and we must give attention to them. However, most people have discretionary time.
How will we spend our discretionary time? Will we spend it on leisure, with family, internet surfing, social media, entertainment, exercise, or more work?
Work and Wealth
Work is a priority in our lives, but sometimes, it's too much. Solomon writes, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This, too, is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10, NIV). He also writes, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint” (Proverbs 23:4, NIV). A person who chases wealth not only wears himself out but often loses his family.
With much wealth comes much responsibility, along with the ongoing management of it. How much responsibility do we want, and how much time and money do we want to spend to safeguard it?
Even if we earn a lot of money, we can’t count on it. If we hoard it, there is always the possibility of losing all we saved or invested through some misfortune. Therefore, if God has blessed us with wealth, we should use it for his glory.
Work is a Gift
So, is there any value in work? Solomon says there is a temporal value. He encourages us to be happy, to enjoy the work and life God has given us as a gift (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 and 5:18-20).Five Benefits of Working
- Work can make us feel good—it exercises our muscles and brain.
- We are made in God's image. When we recreate things from the elements God gives us, we are, in our humanity, taking after our Heavenly Father.
- We accomplish some things in this life using gifts and talents. However, temporal the results might be, there is some satisfaction in that.
- Work gives us compensation to meet our family’s needs, and work provides us with the ability to help others.
- Work allows many of us to make human connections in a digital world.
We appreciate the gift of work when we like what we are doing. If we dislike or hate our duties, we can pray God will help us find other employments. In the meantime, however, we can seek to enjoy the work we now have by focusing on what is positive (Philippians 4:8) and praising the LORD for our strengths, talents, and opportunities. Let’s do all things for the glory of the LORD (1Corinthians 10:31)
A Higher Pursuit
How else should we spend our discretionary time? There is something or someone who is better than any endeavor we might pursue—God. He is Sovereign, Eternal, and Almighty. He is our Creator and Sustainer, and he gives life meaning (more...). If we learn to fear the LORD and walk in his ways, he can give us joy in whatever we do. (Proverbs 22:4). God is a counselor and friend to all who obey him (John 15:14; John 16:13).
How can we pursue God? We can read his Word, the Bible, and study it as you are now doing. In that way, we can know God and the life he desires for us to live. We can also assemble with other followers of Christ by attending church, worshipping, and serving others. God gifts people for serving, and he can use us there or through another faith-based organization. We can also show God's light by doing good deeds in our community.
Three things God wants us to exercise in this world are justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:8). As our Bible reading shows, there is much injustice and evil in the world. Instead of being selfish in using our resources, we can choose to help others in need or invest in them (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12).
For more insight on this topic, read my blog post: 3 time-management tips to make you more effective
Discussion
What are our priorities? How should we spend our discretionary time, which God has given us on earth?
Work is a priority in our lives, but too much is dangerous. Why?
How is work a gift from the LORD? What are some of the benefits?
Focus Verses
Ecclesiastes 3:13-14 (NIV) “That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.”
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Looking Ahead: It is not enough to consider how we spend our time; It is also important to Consider our Destiny. Learn more about this in our Next Lesson.
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