Today we celebrate hard work. Celebrate work? Absolutely. What a joy to work, earn, serve, and give to others. Often work directly impacts our ability to serve and give. Over the past eighteen months, the worldwide pandemic has dramatically affected our work. For some, work slowed down, shuttered down, or completely ended. For others, work stayed the same or dramatically increased. No doubt, every person has been affected in one way or another. In addition, the government has complicated normal supply and demand economics through providing generous and needed short-term and long-term benefits for so many. At this point, we would call nothing normal about our current job market. In these difficult days, we are celebrating hard work.
Hard work helps each one of us.
As We Work, Work Unto the Lord
Notice how Paul explained how one works unto the Lord:
22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. (Colossians 3:22-25, emphasis mine)
As we work, whatever our hands find to do, we work enthusiastically, willingly, and purposefully as unto the Lord. We dedicate our work – at home, in our vocation, as we volunteer, in our church family, wherever we have opportunity – to the Lord. Regardless whether or not other people watch us, we work for the audience of One – our Lord Christ.
Our Challenge – Celebrating Hard Work
With our minds on Jesus Christ seeking to sincerely honor the Lord while serving others with our work, we set out to work hard for the glory and honor of God. Can our employers, fellow employees, customers, responsibilities, and weary bodies make honoring God in our work difficult? Yes. Any or all of those categories can substantially complicate our lives which in turn put pressure on our motives. Yet in the midst of this, we strive to follow Christ and work hard for the beneficial good of those around us.
We celebrate hard work as we see the context of our labor.
We work with the energy God provides.
As we work, God provides us the opportunity to serve others.
Further, through work, God furnishes the means through which we can give to others.
Energy • Service • Giving
As we work, these things are worth celebrating.
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KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
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