For many, this past weekend has been the last opportunity to get out and enjoy a summer vacation before things get back to the routine of school and the work-a-day world.  Today we celebrate “Labor Day” which was established by Congress on June 28, 1894 as a legal holiday to  recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well being. We “celebrated” by making a trip into the forest this morning to get a load of campfire wood (which we supply for a local grocery store) and then spent the afternoon working in the garden to harvest and put it to bed for the fall.  WE count it both a privilege and a blessing to still be able to get out and work hard. 

     That is apparently not the case for some, for as we drive around our community and travel to other towns, we see many “We Are Now Hiring” signs.  Some businesses have had to cut back because they can’t get workers.  One of Kathy’s brother’s son-in-law who has heavy equipment was recently looking for a truck driver to haul gravel for him and checked in all the towns around his work and could find none. He finally got someone from Hawaii!

     So, is work a curse or a blessing?  I guess the answer is both. When God first created man, He gave him work to do. Although “The LORD God planted a garden,…He put him (Adam) into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” (Gen. 2:8, 15).   Having to work for one’s living is not a divine punishment for man’s sin, as some people interpret it, but rather a divine benefit for man’s good. Even when the curse brought upon the earth because of sin is gone, there will still be work to do. We read in Rev. 22 a description of the eternal state and verse three states: “And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it and His bond-servants shall serve Him.”  Man was created for work and that will continue on into eternity. It is, therefore, a God-given privilege to be able to do useful work, whether that work consists of preaching God’s Word or improving God’s world. Solomon, in his God-given wisdom, wrote: “Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or wisdom in Sheol  where you are going” (Ecc. 9:10). Though much of life is futile–as Solomon points out earlier in Ecclesiastes–one must grasp its opportunities and use them to the fullest in serving God. There will be no such opportunities in the grave. As Jesus said, “The night comes, when no man can work” (Jn. 9:4). 

     No matter what work God has provided for us to do, it is important to obey the admonition given by the Apostle Paul: “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Col. 3:23,24). As believers, we all work for the same Employer!  “Our position, as followers of Christ, gives every job we do a higher, clearer, ultimately more satisfying purpose” (Paul Nyquist, past president of Moody Bible Institute). It’s a matter of taking up each duty, no matter how mundane, humble, or trivial, and asking God to bless it and put it to His intended purpose. That takes away the drudgery and turns it to “holy work.” 

     There are some who seem to really love work. They can sit around and watch it for hours!  And then there are those who are like blisters. They don’t show up until the work is all done.  Others seem to believe that work is for people who don’t know how to fish and don’t like to golf!

And, too many stop looking for work when they get a job!  Many view work as a “necessary evil” to make money to buy the things we want and do the things we want to do. We need money, but money is not the main reason for working, and by itself, does not make a job “useful.” A job’s worth is not defined by what it allows you to do when not working. 

     Physical labor, was devalued in the ancient world. The only exception was farming, which was considered the proper pursuit of citizens. All other labor was viewed as demeaning. When plantation agriculture replaced small farms, the work of farming was also demeaning and relegated to slaves.  The biblical view of work, however, is completely different. Scripture presents work as a good thing, an essential part of what it means to be made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26,27). Because God created us to work, it’s inherently connected to our worship and dignity. A job should employ God-given talents in a way that glorifies Him.  Work isn’t just a platform for ministry. It is ministry!   As we do our work “heartily, as for the Lord” (Col. 3:23),  our work can move from drudgery to a renewed and redeemed way of thinking and living. Our work is God’s normal way of providing for us. Remember, “God gives every bird his worm, but He doesn’t throw it into the nest!” (P.D. James). God expects us to work for our “daily bread.”  One of the teachings of the early rabbis was, “If you do not teach your son a trade, you teach him to be a thief” (see Eph. 4:28 and II Thes. 3:10).

     So, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Cor. 10:31).

Forever His,

Pastor Dave