Instrument-4-Christ

Yesterday I read about the man that is blessed by God such that he can enjoy his work and the fruit of his labor. Happy is that man!

But then there are those who seem to get the bad lots in life. This kind of man has “riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it.”

Once again, Solomon says, “Life is unfair!” He’s right too, but that’s a result of sin. Is it God’s fault? No. It’s our fault.

God is always fair and always just. But sin has made life unfair and unjust. But God is still sovereign. Take a lesson Solomon. No that’s not right…take a lesson Joshua.

God is in control. Sin is our fault. Unfairness is our fault. It’s sad, yes, but we are to blame. God is fair and God is just.

Life’s unfair to everyone,
And yet we all return to dust.
But sin’s to blame for evil done,
For God is fair and God is just.

Once again, Solomon repeats himself from an earlier chapter. Ecclesiastes 3:22 says, “So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage.”

Coming to 5:18 he says, “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.”

In verse 19 he says that it “is the gift of God” for one “to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor.” Happy is the man whom God allows to partake of his own profit and find joy in his own work. “God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart” (20).

As I look at my own life, God has blessed me in so many ways. He has definitely allowed me to rejoice in my labor and partake of the things I have worked for. But I must remember that it’s not my doing. It’s “the gift of God.”

Do I thank God enough? Am I grateful for His goodness in my life, and do I express it? I hope so. If not, it’s time to start.

It is good to enjoy all the work that you do
For all of your life in the days which God gives.
But remember the One who gave them to you,
Who allows man to joy in the days which he lives.