“You have eaten and drank, now work, and enjoy it!” – The Bible

“There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work” (Ecclesiastes 2:24, HCSB)

If you are anything like me you have eaten way too much food over the last few days. The Bible is clear that we can and should enjoy our food, and enjoy our rest. But it is no surprise that the verse I am looking at today comes from the same book of the Bible that says ‘There is a time for everything . . .” (Ecclesiastes 3).

It is good to “eat, drink and be merry” you are only being Biblical! I hope you have really let your hair down as it were, and that you have had a good time with family and friends. I know I have (many thanks to my lovely wife for three major entertainment days and excessively fantastic food!)

But now is the time for us to switch gear. For many of us tomorrow is the first working day of the New Year. It is for me. How are we going to think about it?

Are you going to groan when your alarm goes off? And it won’t be going off at lunchtime, either! Are you going to say ‘Oh no, I’ve got to go to work!’ Or are you going to say ‘Oh yes! I get to go to work!‘  The alternative to going to work tomorrow isn’t an endless Christmas break; it’s unemployment, and eventual starvation and homelessness.  There are millions of people all over the world who would love the jobs that you and I are going to work at tomorrow.

Some of you might be thinking: which is it Adrian? Does God want me to learn to relax? Or does he want me to learn to work harder? The answer is simply BOTH.  As is so often the case with wisdom, it is all about knowing what the right thing to do at the right at time. This last week was the right time to eat and enjoy.  This week is the right time to work. As I have written before, our attitude to work is crucial.

“You have eaten and drank, now work, and enjoy it!” – The Bible. There is a time for everything….https://t.co/tykG6Iivff

— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) January 2, 2017

But notice what this verse is saying: the same God who wants you to fully enjoy your time off also wants you to enjoy your work. He has given you a job to do. He has provided for you. Remind yourself of how happy you were when you got that job. Even if you are finding work hard, resolve to do your best to enjoy it even as you try to look for another. Sometimes it is the right time to change jobs, even as I did myself last month.

A good job is a great source of joy. Jesus wants you to be happy at work. Work is an opportunity to use your talents and skills, and to enjoy camaraderie and teamwork. It not only pays the bills, but is a vital promotor of health and wellbeing. I’m certainly not minimising the difficulty that a problematic job can bring into our lives. But sometimes it is us that are the problem and we are the ones who need to change.

Resolve to follow both parts of the verse at appropriate times this year.  Eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy your work!

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