Honest Labor

Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.”

Did you know that the earth is under a curse, and we experience that curse in one way or another each day? God declared to Adam in judgment of original sin: “Cursed is the ground on account of you; in hard labor you will eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you, and you will eat of the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you will eat bread” - Genesis 3: 17b-19a.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.”

I’ve seen that many people suppose that work is a curse to be avoided, if at all possible, and an activity to be involved in only when necessary.  Like the famous George Jones song says: “It’s finally Friday; I’m free again. I got my motor runnin’ for a wild weekend. It’s finally Friday; out of control; forget my workin’ blues and let the good times roll.” But, work is not part of the curse. The very first words of the bible tell us: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” - Genesis 1:1. In Exodus 31:17 “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.” God worked and ordained work before the fall. In Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”  So Adam was commanded to tend to the garden before he fell in sin. Even after sin, though it is greatly aggravated by the result of the fall of man and the curse, it is still true that work occupies a very important position in our life.

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

Without work, it is impossible for any human being to fulfill the probation that God has given us in this life. All honest labor is holy unto the Lord. Our work matters before God. We should do it well, for His glory. Happy Labor Day!

In Christ, Brian