God’s Labor Day: He will honor all his workers
We have just come through a holiday honoring our laboring men and women. Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if nobody worked? We all enjoy so many blessings from the labors of others.
The Bible tells us “Anyone who would not work should not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). This admonition applies to the rich, the poor, the energetic, and the lazy bum alike. The command “Six days shall thou work and rest on the Sabbath” also applies to everyone.
A good economy is depended on everyone who can contribute to it. People who could work and support themselves but won’t because they can get welfare are like leeches. They suck the life right out of an economy. Whenever you do something for someone who is capable of doing it for him/herself, you encourage that person to become lazy.
Let’s take the illegal migrant workers that come here from Mexico. How many of them do you suppose, would come over here and work their butts off (they work hard and cheap to feed their families back home) if they could get welfare from their government equivalent to what welfare recipients get from our government? Because they can’t get welfare from their government, they go looking for work wherever they can find it.
God has planned for a day when he is going to honor his laborers. In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 God is going to test our life’s work by fire in order to separate that which has eternal value from that which only has temporal value. Our works which abide the fire will be honored and rewarded. These works have eternal value. Our works which are burned up in the fire will not be honored or rewarded. This judgment is about our works, not our sins, which have been forgiven and will be remembered no more.
In Matthew 24:45-46 Jesus said, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.”
I ask myself — how much of my life’s work will survive my mortality? Am I writing my life’s legacy in the snow which will melt and disappear as soon as I am gone or am I carving it in marble that will endure the test of time.
Everything we do to help build up Christ’s kingdom/church, which is eternal, will abide forever. Everything we do to build up the spiritual lives/souls of God’s children will abide forever. Everything else will be left behind when we depart this world.
May you have a good week unless you have other plans.
Maranatha. (Maranatha means, “Our Lord Cometh.”)
The Rev. Elton Yutzy is the associate pastor of the Maranatha Community Fellowship Church in Plain City. He can be reached by e-mail at revelton@gmail.com.
