Work is a Good Thing! Really???

Work is a good thing!!! Now, don’t get me wrong.  Not everyone will define their job as good.  Perhaps your job is problematic and you don’t consider it good. But the actual act of being productive, of working (laboring), was ordained by God and it is inherent to our purpose and our dignity.  Therefore, work is good.

God placed Adam in the Garden and He commissioned Adam to work by tending the Garden (Gen 1:26, Gen 2:15).  The Bible has much to say about work and labor, about being productive.

Prov 10:4-5  He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

Prov 13:4  …the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

In Contrast

The opposite of work or labor is idleness and laziness (also called slothfulness) both of which the Bible declares to be harmful to one’s wellbeing.

Prov 6:9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?

Prov 13:4  The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing…

Prov 19:15  Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And an idle person will suffer hunger.

Prov 21:25  The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.

Eccl 10:18  Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

2 Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

The Purpose of Labor Day

Man does not need to be told to rest from his labor. It is the natural inclination of man to seek leisure. 

While many see Labor Day as a vacation day from work, the original intent and purpose of the holiday was to be a recognition and celebration of the importance of work and the labor force in America. It seems in our society today we have lost that meaning and the day has become a “last fling” of summer or a “well-deserved break” before autumn and the hectic holidays arrive.

The History of Labor Day

Labor Day in America is traced back to 1882 and the time of the Industrial Revolution. There were great protests by hard-working laborers against intolerable working conditions. The labor movement chose the first Monday in September to be a holiday to honor the contribution of workers and in 1894, Congress made the day a legal national holiday. 

Rightly Celebrate Labor Day

Let Labor Day be a day of remembrance, thanksgiving, and refreshing.  Remember the good gifts that God has given you — to work, to be productive and to rest and refresh.  To each of us, He has given specifically according to our needs and His good purpose and plan, always for His glory and our good.  Give thanks to God that you are able to work. And in all you do, endeavor to honor Him.  

Colossians 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Col 3:23-24  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.

Let the day also be one of refreshing(Read: Sometimes the Most Spiritual Thing You Can Do Is Take a Nap).  God ordained rest just as He ordained work.  Take a moment now and watch a video about the purpose of Labor Day and the need for rest from our work.

“ Put off thy cares with thy clothes; so shall thy rest strengthen thy labor, and so thy labor sweeten thy rest.” — Francis Quarles (May 1592 – September 1644), an English poet.

Happy Labor Day, from Reasons for Hope* Jesus

Read also:
Why Do We Call it Labor Day?
Skilled And Unskilled Laborer
The Equation of Life: Life = Labor + Leisure
Labor to Balance
Two Minutes of Refreshing for Labor Day Weekend
Breathe (video)
God Cares About Your Work and Your Rest
Sometimes the Most Spiritual Thing You Can Do Is Take a Nap