Laboring

 

Labor Day is a national holiday celebrating the American workers and the work they have performed to make our nation productive and strong. Most workers have Labor Day off but there are still people that are needed to do their job on that day.  Work has always been a part of God’s plan for mankind. After God created all the animals and trees He created Adam and Adam had a job to do. Genesis 2:15 says, “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” Adam was to take care of the garden and he also had the job of naming all of the animals. 

 However, something happened that changed everything, even the way Adam and all

mankind had to do their jobs; sin is what caused the change. One of the curses that God pronounced was on man’s work. The ground is cursed and it will produce weeds and thistles, and work will now be difficult and hard. Those curses, as a result of sin, should not keep us from working even though it is difficult and tedious. There are many admonitions in New Testament about work. Our work causes us to represent God properly in the world and it also has the reward that we will lack nothing.                        1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, declares that. The harshest command about not working is found in 1 Timothy 4:8 which states, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Wow, that is a very stern warning as the Spirit lead Paul to write that.

Unfortunately, that are many people who are working hard to make themselves right with God. They labor intently to make themselves approved to God and that just won’t have their desired outcome.  Jesus gave the answer to that aspect of religiosity in Matt 11:28 when He said, “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” So I pray that you can rest from your work on this labor day but from an eternal perspective I pray you are resting on the finished work of Christ on the cross.

 

Pastor Marty