Labor Day Reflections

September 3, 2024

Work is a part of God's will for our lives. It's part of our calling, and if we're followers of Jesus there's no such thing as just a job. God has put the desire to do productive, meaningful work in our DNA. In fact, when God created Adam and Eve, He immediately gave them work to do, naming the animals and tending them and their beautiful garden.

Now, deep into human history, work is still vital to our lives. No one should be considered a better worker or employee than a Christ follower. The attitude about this separates those who only believe in Jesus and those who truly follow Him. Paul realized this, and he challenged the people in Colossae who were mostly serving Romans. He taught them that if they named the name of Christ in their identity, they were saying to those for whom they worked and those who watched them, “This is what following Jesus, what a Christian, looks like.”

Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work. Colossians 3:23-24 MSG

Paul’s remarks about the way we are to work are not suggestions. You can see they are commands. The work that we do has eternal significance. We work for the Lord, not for man. We don’t work for recognition, money, validation, or impression. Our work is in obedience to our Father and Jesus. We love God, and we want to love others as Jesus does. We know our actions have eternal impact because each person we meet is eternal, and each word we speak to them has an eternal effect.

Working from your heart for the Lord demonstrates integrity. It is “shining our light before others so that when they see our good works they will give glory to God” (Matthew 5:16). It is the integrity that ties our actions to our words, what we say we believe and who we claim to be (James 1:22; 1 John 3:18).

If you want to work with integrity, in the manner Jesus followers are called to work, remember there’s far more to work than just going to the office or workplace. Work has a purpose. God has planned for humans to work and care for each other. He has designed us all to live in a state of interdependence on each other. He desires to use our talents, opportunities, and the things that seem like terribly ordinary jobs to provide and care for the people He so deeply loves. As we work, we can see ourselves as tools of God. We are a means of His grace to the people around us. When we choose to see it like that, a sense of wonder and awe and even joy becomes evident in our everyday working lives because we see that God’s purpose is channeling His love through us as we work.

Remember your true authority. Working with integrity that pleases God also involves realizing who your true boss/authority is. Our true boss, no matter who, gives us our annual reviews. Every true Jesus follower ultimately answers to Jesus. This doesn’t mean we don’t honor the human authorities we have. But we don’t do it because that person deserves our respect or because we must follow the structure. We don’t even do it because we want to be respectful. We respectfully honor the authorities in our lives (in the government, at work, at home, in the church) because the Word of God says that He has placed authorities in our lives. Our submission to earthly authorities reflects our respect and honor for our heavenly authority. Whenever we remember who our true boss/authority is, our attitude changes.

And most importantly, we will always struggle with work if we ask work to meet needs it was never intended to meet. Work will never satisfy our deepest needs. It cannot be our source of identity, our self-worth and esteem, validation, or satisfaction. We will only find our true joy, satisfaction, and worth in Jesus. When we do that, we are able to work with a different perspective. We don’t work from or with anxiety because we work knowing that we are fully loved, accepted, and satisfied in Jesus. That results in more personal confidence, satisfaction, and even joy. We enjoy our work in a whole new way. We can give ourselves to every job in a completely different way! Nothing will ever fill the place in our hearts and souls that Jesus is meant to fill.

Let Labor Day direct your hearts toward the plans Jesus has for your work. It will change your life when you get it.