Work is something many men avoid at all costs. Both the man who tills the land with his callused hands and the man who tackles the global economy with his Bluetooth cell phone can find themselves questioning whether their work really matters. Read on, and make work mean something more than a paycheck.

"A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This ... is from the hand of God." Eccl. 2:24, NIV

"The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need to do and (b) that the world needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you've presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing cigarette ads, the chances are you've missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time you're bored and depressed by it, the chances are you have not only bypassed (a), but probably aren't helping your patients much either. ... The place where God calls you is where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
Thomas A. Edison

"You're fired!"
Donald Trump

"The Donald," as tabloids call him, built a real-estate fortune and became the star of NBC's The Apprentice. At 60 years old, Trump is worth an estimated $2.5 billion, according to Forbes magazine, which rated him among the 400 richest Americans. But his two failed marriages have been tabloid fodder for the last two decades.

"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it."
Henry Ford

A recent Rolling Stone article stated "a survey of job dissatisfaction found that only 7 percent of the respondents mentioned low pay or insufficient benefits. But 61 percent felt they weren't treated like professionals."

"You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride, / You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side, / You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair ... / But you're gonna have to serve somebody."
"Gotta Serve Somebody" by Bob Dylan

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."
Gen. 2:2, NIV

DIGGING DEEPER: It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with Jimmy Stewart
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson

PONDER POINTS: 1. Most men find much of their self-worth in their work. How much self-worth do you get from your work and how much from Christ?

2. Do you recognize the value you bring to your workplace? What can you do to have a greater sense of purpose at your job?

3. In Genesis 2:2, God took time to rest from His work. Shouldn't you?

4. Do you think you will have any regrets when you retire? What can you do now to avoid this?