Ahhh....Labor Day! Considered a "guilt free" day of rest from hard work,
this holiday produces a genuine smile on the face of numerous employed
Americans. Undoubtedly, many folks feel they deserve at least one day
off, reason being they put their whole heart (AND SOUL) into work all
year long, why not be rewarded for the countless hours invested in such
toil? Like me, maybe you never really realized just what the history was
behind Labor Day. This prompted my search of the details that led to the
origin of this holiday which I will now share with you…
Labor Day is a legal holiday celebrated in honor of the working class.
Initiated in the U.S. in 1882 by the Knights of Labor, a large parade
was held in NYC in such celebration. Two years later, the parade was held
on the first Monday in September, and the Knights of Labor passed a resolution
that all future parades would be the same day every year designating Labor
Day. It was finally made a legal holiday in 1894 by the U.S. Congress
and is most always celebrated with parades and speeches made by labor
leaders and political figures.
Guess what, ladies? We as Christians have a spiritual "Labor Day" awaiting
us! It's called the Judgment Seat of Christ, where the "working class"
of the Lord will also be paraded before the Judgment Seat and be rewarded
for their works done on earth…
Revelation 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS.
The heavenly "Knights of Labor" will be there to pass out those rewards
to us personally, and we too will hear some great speeches from such "labor
leaders" as the apostle Paul and John the Baptist, and many other great
men and women of God gone before us. What a day that will be for the WORKERS!
The question is, will you enjoy THAT Labor Day as much as you enjoy the
earthly one?? The Bible says every man's work will be known, whether little
or much…
1 Corinthians 3:13-15
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's
work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
While it is possible in this life to hide the true quality of one's service
for the Lord, there will come a day when our work will be openly displayed.
What a sobering thought… The fire spoken of above is the judgment of God,
which will try our works and reveal of what sort they are. Considering
this fact, why not give yourself a little "work review" today… Will all
your works go up in smoke; will you lose your reward for all your labors??
To what kind of work is your life devoted? I hope it is the Lord's work,
for everything in this life shall in one day suddenly be swept away! Are
you using eternal materials with which to build or temporal materials?
It matters dear lady, for the one will withstand the trial by fire and
the other will not! God, in His Word, exhorts us to examine closely HOW
we build. Therefore, we must build according to the right plan - God's
plan - if our work is to abide forever. We better be building on the right
foundation in our lives, and that foundation is and must be Jesus Christ!
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder,
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every
man take heed HOW he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man
lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
It's tempting to consider the lives of others, but today, take heed how
YOU are building. A wise master builder chooses the right kind of materials
to build with if he wants to see his work abide forever, otherwise his
labors are a total waste of time! So it is for us as well. Ladies, the
Bible clearly tells us with what to build and what not to build. The Word
of God explains to us what materials will stand the test of the fire and
what materials will not. Why wait till the end of your life to discover
you chose the wrong materials?! You can know today… Sadly though, many
do not heed God's blueprints. Why would we reject such wisdom for constructing
our lives, knowing that one day we will have to answer for how we labored
in this life??
1 Corinthians 3:12
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, stubble;
This is our materials list from which to choose. If you'll notice, the
first three are incombustible, incapable of being destroyed. The last
three listed are easily burned; they are combustible. Which materials
do you think it wisest to utilize? I hope you chose the first three! By
the way, these supplies cannot be purchased at your local hardware store,
they are found in God's Word…
Proverbs 3:13-15
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better that the merchandise of silver, and
the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and
all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Yes, gold, silver, and precious stones are likened to the Bible. God's
truths are valuable, His promises beautiful, and His counsels enduring,
just like the materials mentioned that couldn't be injured! Every day
we must dig deep into the scriptures and mine out the precious gold, silver,
and precious jewels, and then build those durable truths into our lives
and the lives of others. Apart from the Word of God there is neither gain
nor reward for our work! Wood, hay, and stubble are fleeting materials
that do not have such lasting qualities. They are easy to get hold of,
cost nothing, hold no beauty, and represent man's style of construction,
which can never tolerate the trial of fire. Make sure the labor you are
exerting is going to meet God's approval! Build with eternity in mind…
Isaiah 55:2
Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor
for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat that
which is good, and let your soul delight in fatness.
We work hard only to find that our appetites can never be satisfied with
the things this world has to offer. We labor to have and discover that
when we get what we wanted, it does not take long before we crave more!
We humans labor in this world even to the point of starving our very own
souls, don't we? Look how many people sacrifice church to go to work on
Sunday and starve their souls in the process so they can feed an appetite
that can never be satisfied!
Think about it, dear lady… During the week, do you starve your soul of
your daily quiet time with the Lord? Do you usually wake up in the morning
and jump into your daily responsibilities and skip personal devotions
because they will hinder or steal time away from your housework? Today
our souls are lean and our bodies are fat, when God intended it to be
the other way around…
John 6:27
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth
unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him
hath God the Father sealed.
While we go about our daily tasks, let's not lose sight of the labor that
is most important, and the labor that will last for all of eternity! It
is never a waste of our time to be serving the Lord. Some of us live and
work as if what we have here and now is all there is, which is why so
many Christians will enjoy THIS Labor Day and won't enjoy the Labor Day
to come…
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not
in vain in the Lord.
You may get tired at times when working for the Lord, but the time to
rest from our spiritual labors is not now. When you grow weary, go to
the Lord and He will give you rest for your souls, but keep your bodies
busy! (Mt. 11:28) Our life span is all the time we have to work for the
Lord. Unfortunately, some of us have not even begun a work for the Savior
- the One who finished His work on the cross, thereby affording us eternal
life! Proverbs 14:1 tells us that every wise woman builds her house; she
is actively pursuing God's design for her life and her home. Have you
been applying wise management to the running of your affairs? Though we
are all dying creatures, there is time remaining, ladies - don't waste
it!
Eccles. 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is
no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither
thou goest.
Every worker likes to be praised for his labors. Don't you long to hear
the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!" from the Lord
one day? Such words will be part of our reward if we work NOW as wise
master builders, looking diligently to the Word of God for our directions.
Someday when you are dead and gone, your work here on earth may be forgotten.
But with God, no work ever goes unnoticed no matter how small, and no
work is ever forgotten…
Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which
ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints,
and do minister.
Ladies, is there labor in your love for God today? And is there love in
your labor? Both need to be there… Do you despise cooking, cleaning, and
staying home with your children or are you happy to serve the Lord and
your family in that capacity? Investing in the lives of others is your
labor of love toward the name of the Lord. A labor of love is an ongoing
work, for that verse above says, "have ministered and DO minister." It's
a profession that we should never consider quitting or retiring from!
God has taken us on and paid our salary through the blood of His Son,
Jesus Christ! Let's work for the Lord and with the Lord - not against
Him…
1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are
God's building.
Imagine that, ladies - we are working along side of the God of the universe!
What an exciting career we can have here on earth as a child of the King!
Some of us give and have given earthly employers more attention, devotion,
and energy than we do the God of heaven. We wouldn't think twice about
arguing over the responsibilities placed upon us at the job site, yet
when the Word of God convicts us to do something, we become like Jonah
and argue over the task God calls for us to do! Does the Lord have trouble
with you as one of His hired hands? Don't be found "laying down on the
job" when Christ returns, follow God's instructions and do right! Our
spiritual Labor Day is coming soon… Will you be ready??
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003
