Labor Day
Scripture Reading - Colossians 1:29 Modern King James Version
For which I also labor, striving according to the working of Him who works in me in power.
Today’s lesson speaks on the nation holiday of “Labor Day”. Historically, “Labor Day” has celebrated two things, the culture of working hard in America and the various people who actually work to produce good things in this nation. We (ihlcc) will quote Wikipedia, “Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country.” Of course we strongly support both the labor movement and we likewise don’t mind honoring those who “labor” for the good and benefit of society. Now, since we believe it is wise to glorify God in all we do we thought that we would mention the fact that all the good that men do (and have done) is by the Grace of God. Did you know that God, our Heavenly Father labors with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to create good (and great) things in this earth. Yes, all the natural resources you see in the earth are the works of His Hands. Yes, God “labors” in wisdom and strength He purposely measures out what is needed for a specific situation and gives it unto His servants, His people and sometimes even unbelievers because of His Goodness. Yes, we think all holidays are actually holy days that should remind each person to thank God for the title and reason of that specific holiday. This holy day is no different, because the scripture tells us in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Notice that version clearly communicates that we can do all things through the spiritual strength of Christ Jesus the only question is, “How many people look to God for spiritual strength and knowledge?” You don’t get God’s strength and grace by accident but rather through purpose and perseverance. Yes, we (ihlcc) know many people who go to work in dread and complain once they get there. This will not help those people to be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might. Right on the other hand we have also known some believers who “whistle while they work” so to speak. This means they are working unto the Lord and they are very conscious of God’s Presence being there to help them. God’s grace in our “labor” must include happiness and peace because the joy of the Lord is our strength. Yes, we can include God’s counsel in our decision making at work because He Is the Great Counselor. There are plenty of times the Holy Spirit has brought back to our remembrance something that we were supposed to do that day. Listening to Him (His promptings, the unction, His witness) will make you more efficient and effective in your career and job assignments. We (ihlcc) do love God’s Help in our everyday job because He knows things we just don’t know and He sees things we just don’t see. So when He gives us His perspective it is like inside information that encompasses all parties involved. Yes, His solutions are thee best resolutions to solve all problems at hand. We can remember one time when we were looking to change jobs primarily for a better title and slightly more pay but the Good Lord instructed us to stay put. No, the Lord did not completely explain why but it was very clear in our heart to stop seeking more wages and promotion through another company, we were instructed to just keep on working in our present job as unto the Lord. We did and within three months the current company I was working at offered us a promotion so the new title came into leadership and a higher wage accompanied the new position. See, our faith friend, God knew that all the time and that is precisely why He counseled us to stay put. If we would have moved into a brand new job we would have missed what God had lined up for us. The Lord always wants to help people but He needs our cooperation to have His Will done in this earth, yes specifically speaking we are referring to God’s Work in our very own personal life. Yes, Jesus came to give us abundant life and this life should be reflected in our “labor (our work)”. Yes, the Lord has graciously blessed the housewife with wisdom on raising her children and also included counsel to her on what she should do for her husband. One totally awesome thing we have witnessed from God is that He will give specific instructions to a person in a lesser position to know how help the person over them. In other words, the Lord will give you wisdom in how to handle your boss (supervisor, parents, manager, etc…) because there are times to speak to the boss about doing something good and there are other times when silence is golden. The point we are making is that God is supposed to be working with us as we work with others so that all parties are blessed and happy. Who doesn’t like a good idea and since we all do let us be conscious of His Grace upon us and let us Praise God for the works of our hands that we did in His Hands. Let us publically recognize that His Labor of Love within us helps us to labor with love to those around us. Please, dear saint of God, never forget that it is always God’s working in us that gives us the strength and energy to work unto others. Yes, even when we do work for ourselves it is definitely God’s wisdom, understanding and knowledge that comes to us while we are working to do the job right by correcting things we are doing that just don’t seem right. For sure “God is the Ultimate Laborer” in everything good and right that is done in this earth. Therefore we (ihlcc) shall praise the Lord for ‘His Labor this day” and we will also remember the Sabbath (no labor) as a day of rest to keep that a holy day also at least once a week in Jesus Name. Amen!