Does Your Work Even Matter? | Ecclesiastes 2:18-23

Ever put your heart and soul into something, only to wonder if it even mattered? Imagine spending your whole life building, striving, and achieving—only to leave it all behind for someone who may not even appreciate it.

Welcome to The Daily. We go through the bible verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter, every single day.

Our text today is Ecclesiastes 2:18-23.

I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. — Ecclesiastes 2:18-23

Solomon’s words map out a three-step downward spiral that we still see today. The progression is striking.

Step 1 | Frustration – “I hated all my toil.”
It begins with frustration. A man spends his life working, sacrificing, and striving—only to realize that everything he builds will one day slip from his hands. He cannot control what happens to it after he is gone. The thought is maddening. Will his legacy be preserved? Will the next generation appreciate what he worked for? “This also is vanity.”

We see this everywhere today. People invest years into careers, businesses, and reputations, only to watch them crumble. The economy shifts, companies replace their most loyal employees, and the wealth a man stores up is spent by someone else. The realization stings—was all this toil for nothing?

Step 2 | Despair – “I gave my heart up to despair.”
What begins as frustration sinks deeper into despair. Solomon doesn't just acknowledge the futility of work; he feels it. His heart, once driven by ambition, is now paralyzed by hopelessness. The truth cuts deep—no matter how wise or skilled a person is, they cannot secure what they have built. The thought is unbearable. He even calls it “a great evil.”

This despair is everywhere today. We see people drowning in burnout, marriages strained by endless work, and people chasing meaning in achievements that never satisfy. They give their best years to a job, only to retire feeling empty. Without a greater purpose, work becomes a cruel master that demands everything and gives nothing lasting in return.

Step 3 | Questioning – “What has a man from all the toil?”
Finally, Solomon reaches the ultimate question—the one that lingers in the quiet moments when the striving stops: What’s the point? If work only brings exhaustion, anxiety, and restlessness, what does a man really gain from it? His heart is troubled even at night, and he is unable to find peace. Three times, Solomon names it—"vanity, vanity, vanity." The emptiness is undeniable.

This is where many people end up today. After years of chasing success, they find themselves lying awake, restless. Was it worth it? What did all the long hours, stress, and sacrifice actually produce? A bigger paycheck? A temporary title? None of it lasts.

But the good news is Solomon’s despair isn’t the final answer. In his great wisdom, he diagnoses the problem so that we can find the solution. Work was never meant to be our source of meaning. If we build only for this life, frustration, despair, and emptiness are inevitable. But when we work for God’s glory rather than our own, our labor is never in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58 reads, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Trade in vanity for a life not lived in vain.

#PurposeOverSuccess, #WorkForGod, #EcclesiastesWisdom

ASK THIS:
How do you handle the frustration of feeling like your work might not last?
Where have you seen despair creep into your work or ambitions?
What would change in your work if you truly believed it had eternal value?
How can you shift from working for yourself to working for God’s glory?
DO THIS:
Surrender your work to God today—pray and ask Him to use your efforts for His glory, not just earthly success.

PRAY THIS:
Father, I surrender my work to You. Help me find meaning in serving You, not just in striving for success. Let my labor glorify You. Amen.

PLAY THIS:
This Is Glory.