Labor

How do you spend your time? Do you work feverishly all day long completing your long list of tasks like the ant in Proverbs. "Go to the ant you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise." Or maybe you are more like me and come to the end of your day wondering what work you actually got accomplished. There seems to be a fine line in the Bible of what our work should look like. Here are some references:

"Their boast is only labor and sorrow."

"The labor of the righteous leads to life."

"He who gathers by labor will increase."

"All things are full of labor; man cannot express it."

"For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun."

"What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?"

"Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow?"

"Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

"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."

"Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

"For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward his Name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister."

"But I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might."

"If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies."

"For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building."

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

So we are to work, but it is not our identity. We are not to be lazy and be busybodies. We have to work in order to function. But...We are to work for the Lord and not for man. We are not to be brought down by our labor but to come to Him when we are weary from it. It says that the work of the Lord is easy...a light burden. Paul says he labored more abundantly than anyone but it was the grace of God that was in him doing it. We are to work with all our might for Him. God speaks about the labor of love - ministering to others, building his kingdom, working his field. We will earn physical bread from our work, but the spiritual bread is what endures. Our work is not in vain, he says. Yes, that means sweeping Cheerios, changing diapers, ministering to our sisters in Christ, teaching our children, cleaning the toilet (again), cooking a meal, doing your 18th load of laundry this week, etc are all things that are not done in vain...that is if we are doing them for the Lord by ministering to others. This devotion I am doing today is spoken mainly to myself as I am struggling to go through my day and complete what I have to. I am convicted by the Lord to work harder, not to earn myself anything, but to please Him. To organize my time better so that I am more effective and to use the grace and strength of Christ alone to complete this. I have been so lost, but I pray that Christ would give me new energy to complete what I have to through Him.