Labor

Labor

Ecclesiastes 1:3 What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?

Today is Labor Day, the day in which we celebrate the contributions of American workers. Many people work hard in this country, so we deserve a pat on the back and a hardy “Happy Labor Day!” But did you know the Bible has a lot to say about “labor?” The word “labor” appears in God’s Word over 100 times and it appears most often in the Book of Ecclesiastes. There Solomon considers the benefits and shortfalls of all his labors. Solomon labored but in the end he determined all he had strived for resulted in vanity and grasping at the wind. He knew when he died he’d just leave it all behind for someone else to claim. Solomon admits that the fruit of his labor was a gift from God and meant to be enjoyed, and he also admits it’s better to labor together with someone else because two are better than one. But he also admits that most of the labor we do is for the benefit of our own mouth and it doesn’t do a thing for the eternal soul.

In the end Solomon gives this advice: Ecclesiastes 9:9-10 “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor you perform under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”

But also consider what Jesus said: John 6:27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

Enjoy the fruit of your labor here on earth, but also labor in the work of Christ that will result in eternal treasures stored up in heaven, labor that endures to
everlasting life.

Have a God Filled Week and a Happy Labor Day,

Brother Donnie