Today, as we celebrate the the holiday Labor Day in America, I meditate on some things that the Word has to say about working and I understand more and more that the motivation of the actions described as “work” are what’s important to God.
For example, how would you answer the question, “Why do you go to work every day and do what you do?”
A lot of people would say things like:
“Well, I have to make a living of course!”
“I have to put food on the table and the kids have to have new clothes!”
“Well, you know the Bible says that if you don’t work you won’t have money to eat!”
I know that those all sound good and have been represented as “righteous” ways of thinking in line with the Bible but do you know that they are actually totally wrong!
Let’s look at these a little closer and I believe you will see what I’m getting at here.
“Well, I have to make a living of course!”….actually, the Bible says that it is the BLESSING OF THE LORD that makes you rich and He add no grievous, hard toilsome work along with it! (Proverbs 10:22)
“I have to put food on the table and the kids have to have new clothes!”….actually, Jesus said when He was on the earth to not even think about those things! He said the world and it’s system is consumed with trying to get those thing but if you’ll seek after the way the Lord does things in His kingdom than ALL of these things will simply be added to you….they are part of your covenant!
“Well, you know that the Bible says that if you don’t work you won’t have money to eat!”….ummm, no it doesn’t say that! No, it does not! 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 is where this is discussed and it says “if any would not work, neither should he eat.” The problem is expounded upon in the next couple of verses where Paul says they were being busybodies and that you should not be weary in WELL DOING!
Nowhere in this verse does Paul say that they should not eat because they are not earning the money to buy the food! He is saying their motivation, their heart, is not right and they are incorrect in their way of life!
Now, brother David, you are stretching that a little bit I think! Am I? Let’s look at it a little closer then and Paul will tell us exactly WHY a person should be working!
Turn and look at Ephesians 4:28….”let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hand the thing which is good, THAT HE MAY HAVE TO GIVE TO HIM THAT NEEDETH!”
THAT’S how we are supposed to “make a living!” By the BLESSING OF THE LORD taking the seed that we give, the money that we give, and increasing it 30, 60 and 100 fold and giving it back to us!
That is what Jesus was saying when He was on the earth in Luke 6:38…”give and it shall be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall MEN GIVE INTO YOUR BOSOM!”
When you go back to work tomorrow, go in joy “knowing that your labor is not in vain” if you are are laboring in Christ, the way he said to go to work!