Positive Action for Christ offers several daily devotionals. We have a new devotional scheduled to launch next year titled Meaning for Your Labor: A Daily Devotional from the Book of Ecclesiastes. From our new book, here is an encouraging devotion on Ecclesiastes 3:10.
So Bored
“I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with" (ESV).
Harry Saint John Philby was a diplomat, businessman, royal advisor, politician, archaeologist, cartographer, linguist, author, and explorer. One of his most notable achievements was being the first European to cross the largest portion of the Arabian desert from east to west [1]. His life was full of varied experiences and impressive accomplishments, yet his dying words were reportedly, “I’m so bored” [2].
Even a king like Solomon, with his experiences and accomplishments, finds his life’s work disappointing. In an earlier statement bearing strong similarity to this verse, Solomon declared that our God-given business is unhappy work (see Eccles. 1:13). We face rapidly changing events that only God controls. Productive living under such circumstances seems daunting. How do we know if we are doing the right work at the right time?
Satisfaction comes from broadening our perspective of work. Jesus once told a crowd, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (John 6:27). Instead of working for material satisfaction, Christ calls us to work for the food He provides. What is the food? A relationship with Jesus that leads to eternal life. What is the work? No work at all, as Jesus explains in John 6:29. Our responsibility is to believe in God’s Son.
The Christian’s business is one of faith. Your lifelong enterprise, like Philby’s and Solomon’s, will include plenty of dull disappointment. But as you pursue the Lord Jesus and believe in His work and promises, you will find satisfying peace in the present and forever after in eternity.
Final Thought
Pursue Jesus for a satisfying existence.
Stay tuned for updates on the release of Meaning for Your Labor. In the meantime, check out our 180-day devotional on the Book of Psalms—Songs for Your Path. It is available for purchase in print or free on Kindle and iBooks.
