Laboring in Vain

From the early pages of our Bible, we see work demonstrated as part of God’s intent for humanity.

Work intrinsically brings dignity and fulfillment to our lives. While we know work is often challenging, few things can bring more satisfaction.

Because work fills our days, we often find ourselves busy. Being busy with work is a natural extension of fulfilling our job descriptions – taking care of tasks, growing a business or even taking on more than one job.

But just like everything under the sun, what God meant for His purposes can be twisted into something else. One of my favorite verses in the Bible regarding work is the cautionary advice from Psalm 127:

Unless the Lord builds the house,
    the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
    the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early
    and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
    for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Psalm 127:1-2 (NIV)

The analogy rings true no matter your occupation: unless the Lord is at the heart of your plans, a Christ-follower can be busy about nothing. If you are burning the midnight oil, pay special attention to verse 2: “you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves.” In other words, peace comes from God alone – not from any amount of resources we can accumulate, and even if we’re successful by earthly standards.

To clarify, busy isn’t always bad. Often, we are required to be busy. God opposes the sluggard as we see repeatedly in the books of Solomon:

He who watches the wind will never sow, and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NIV)

However, let’s use wisdom to know that “busy” and “lazy” aren’t as opposite as we think. We can be busy in activity but lazy in the pursuit of our calling. We can be busy, but unfruitful. We can allow distractions to pull us in many directions and water down our impact.

When we use “busy” to give ourselves satisfaction or a sense of accomplishment, we can often confuse true productivity with simple activity. Even with well-meaning hearts, we can lose sight of Who’s building the house.

Remember that no matter your job description, God desires to use your work for His purposes. Don’t sacrifice significance for the appearance of a full calendar.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the lord, and not for men.

Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

The Better word:

1. Are you laboring in vain? If you find yourself constantly “busy,” find a quiet place and take inventory of what fills your days. Even though we can fill our calendars with the “good life” – work success, family vacations and a healthy savings account – we can be busy in opposition to true peace with God. Whatever you do, do it for the glory of the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31).
2. Do you have more discipline at work than you do with your faith? Do you find yourself more fulfilled with being “busy” at work than with your focus on who God is calling you to be? We often have full plates at work, but if you call Jesus Lord of your life, make sure to be busy about His business.
3. Our occupations require sacrifice, commitment and intentionality to be successful. Don’t mistake activity for fruitfulness – ask the Holy Spirit to give you clarity on the difference.