The 3 main aspects of toil from this passage deal with:

1. The Legacy of Toil – The fruit of your labour may go to undeserving or reckless descendants.

2. The Weariness of Toil – Will there be any real remembrance for what you accomplished in your short life on earth?  Time has a way of making us feel small. It never stops and we are a tiny portion of it’s reality. Death is the great equalizer; it devours the wise and the foolish, rich and poor. We can be weary or frustrated if we feel that our toil is based on effort alone.

3. The Blessing of Toil – So what is the posture we’re called to have in our work? Humility: Submission to God in our work circumstances, even when they can be difficult or seemingly unrewarding. Thankfulness: realizing that God is the author of success, happiness and fulfillment. Servanthood: We need to realize Jesus's challenge to the disciples about who the greatest really is in Matthew 20:26-28.

Fulfillment for our toil is not based on what we achieve or attain, but on whom we serve and trust.