Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Ecclesiastes 2:18-26), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• As you reflect on this passage, consider how you feel about your own life’s endeavors. What do you do with most of your time and energy? Would you consider it to be “toil”? What are you looking to get out of your work? More than a paycheck? What have you been willing to sacrifice for or invest in your work?

• How do you feel when you think about coming to the end of your work? Getting fired? Retiring? Dying? How about handing off the fruit of your toil to someone else? Do these things ever make you question why you toil?

• Jesus toiled in his earthly life, and he did it so that the fruit of his toil could be shared with us. He sacrificed everything, he suffered and died, so that we could enjoy the reward that was coming to him. This reward is the presence of God. We can enjoy this gift at any moment—his presence is what makes our life’s toils worthwhile. In Christ, all our work is a place to meet God, to know him, to appreciate him, to become more like him, to faithfully serve and praise him. Have you found enjoyment in God while you work? Have you been able to pray while you work? Can you be thankful to God for your work as a place to meet him? Can you see your relationship with God as the “big payoff” that makes your work worthwhile? How can you become more like Jesus as you bring your work into your relationship with God in his name?