Labor Day thoughts about 'work'

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We work.  We toil.  Some of us have physically challenging jobs like construction workers or farmers.  Others of us are desk jockeys, programmers, musicians, police officers, secretaries, and CEOs.

We labor.  We have to.  That's how we earn money to trade for things we need.  Like food, shelter, and clothing. 

With the fall of man, God sent Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to work:

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it  you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Gen 3:19 (ESV)

However, remember that the pair was also charged to work while living IN the Garden:

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Gen 2:15 (ESV)

The only difference between working in and out of the Garden was the direct presence of God.  God, being a Holy Creator, cannot co-exist with sinful man, so the sinful man was put out into the world to toil apart from the Mighty God's presence.

Enter Jesus, fully God and fully man, who lovingly walked upon the earth and co-existed with tax collectors, prostitutes, and lepers.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He dwells inside of each believer, and we can once again toil in His presence.

Here's a cool fact:  God is the boss, the supervisor.  It doesn't matter who your human boss is, because we ultimately report to the Ultimate Boss - God.  And that's a win-win situation in any work environment.

Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.  Col 3:22-25 (MSG)

When we work for the glory of God, then we are working at our best, striving for the excellence that God deserves having performed excellence for us.

So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you're eating to God's glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God's glory. 1 Cor 10:31 (MSG)

I encourage you on this Labor Day to reflect upon your own work ethics and to pray for revelation about how you too can strive for excellence for God's glory.  But my prayer for each of us is that we will achieve a sense of joy in your daily work with the realization that we are working for our Mighty King and Savior.  In this sense, our work days could truly be lived in worship and abandon for Him.

See also the excerpt  "Labor Day: The ethics of work" by James P. Eckman at www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/559342/.