Labor Day

Typically, when we remember Labor Day we laud the value of our laborers.  Employees need to feel honored for the jobs they do.  This Labor Day, though, I would like to offer a bit of a different take on working.   No, the Bible doesn’t explicitly provide commandants about what type of employees would should be, but a look at the essence of the message of spiritual living provides us some insight:
1.  We should be employed.  When Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden mankind was destined to have to work for sustenance.  In fact, God issued this proclamation, “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19).  Throughout the rest of the Bible, the challenge is clear – if a man doesn’t work, he shouldn’t be allowed to eat (II Thessalonians 3:10).  I understand there are exceptions to this rule for health reasons, but the basic principle is simple, we need to work to support ourselves and our family (I Timothy 5:8)
2.  We should be fair.   Employment is not exclusive of our religion.  The way we approach a job reflects upon our values and our Lord.  Solomon counseled his subjects, “A just balance and scales belong to the Lord; all the weights of the bag are His concern.” (Proverbs 16:11).   This was so ingrained in new Christians that believers like Zacchaeus pledged to repay anyone they cheated with what might be called “interest and penalty” (Luke 19:8).  God’s people treat others with equity and fairness in every aspect of our lives – especially in business dealings.
3.  We should be contented.  When John the Baptist preached to the Jews during Jesus’ day he made it a point to discuss their work and their attitude about their work.  He counseled the tax collectors to “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” and challenged the soldiers, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.” (Luke 3:13-14).  While there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with advancing in our careers we need to keep our attitudes in check.  Whining and fussing about our jobs or our employers doesn’t produce a contented spirit or glorify our God.
4.  We should do a good job with a good attitude.  As Paul addressed the responsibility of believing slaves he encouraged them, “With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:7-8).  If slaves were compelled to do their best work with their best attitude what does that tell us about our attitude toward our employment today?
I hope we will all enjoy our Labor Day.  Additionally, I hope that we will all enjoy our labor as well!

Popular posts from this blog

At The Foot Of The Cross

I like a lot of the old classic hymns, but there is one that I struggle to sing – The Old Rugged Cross .  I understand that George Bennard’s masterpiece has an allure to a lot of people, but honestly, there are some phrases that get stuck in my mind and in my heart.  I find it hard to vocalize that “I love that old cross” or that I can see its “wondrous beauty”.  No, I don’t have any scriptural issues with the song, nor do I feel we should stop singing it – it’s just not one of my favorites. While I may struggle with Mr. Bennard’s description of the cross, I do appreciate the imagery of emotionally standing at the foot of the cross and being reminded of its lessons.   When I look at the cross, here are a few things I notice: 1).   My inability to be personally successful in life .   Everything I have and everything I hope for comes from Jesus.   Whether it is internal peace or external success, it all dependent upon His work in my life.   Yet, my greatest failure comes in my inab
Read more

The Gospel Truth

During a recent Communion Service Scripture reading I was struck by a portion of John 19.  I am sure that I have read it scores of times, but this time it really got me to thinking.  When John recorded the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion he wrote, “ And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.” (John 19:35).   In the midst of making some incredible claims about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus John pauses to say, “believe me”!   As I got to thinking about the importance of this statement it reminded me that we all have to be honest with the gospel – not just John (whose words would transcend time) – but every one of us.   Even though we have the written Word available to us today, we must treat it with honesty and we must be transparently truthful when discussing it.   So, how do we make this happen? 1.   We must know what the Bible says (and doesn’t say) .    Truth begins w
Read more

Spiritual Computer Safety

When I took a computer class in college the highlight of the course was getting to actually see the computer – which was housed in a room by itself.  During the semester I also remember seeing a smaller piece of equipment (I think they called it a “personal computer” because of it its size), but  I didn’t pay too much attention to it because, after all, if it took a computer the size of a classroom to do simple accounting processes what could that dinky thing do?  That was circa 1980 ... it is incredible how things have changed! Often, when we discuss computers and spirituality, we tend to focus on pornography, but that’s not the direction I want to take this discussion.   Computers – complete with the development of the internet and the prevalence of social media – impact our mind and our spirit just about every day.   In light of this, I want to provide a few suggestions for keeping us spiritually safe in the modern technological world. 1.   Don’t take to heart everything we se
Read more