SCRIPTURE: Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Psalm 128:1-2 ESV
THOUGHT: If you labor, you get a holiday today. It’s the only holiday I can think of that salutes the achievements of ordinary people in building an extraordinary country. Labor Day celebrates a people who put their hand to the plow and didn’t look back, so to speak. But this good work ethic is more than American, it’s Biblical. The value of work as part of life goes back to God assigning Adam and Eve the care of the garden and the naming of animals, and telling the people of God, “six days shall you labor and do all your work (Ex. 20:9, Deut. 5:13).” Paul puts an exclamation point on it his New Testament writings by declaring that we are, in fact, created for good works that God prepared for each of us (Eph. 2:10).
I like the idea that God planned good work for me ahead of time. Like the Psalms passage says, if I’m walking in God’s ways, I get to eat the fruit of the labor of my hands and it will go well with me. That’s a promise and blessing to celebrate beyond Labor Day!
PRAYER: Thank you for good, hard work Lord, and the fruit of it too. It blesses me, it blesses others, it blesses you. Steer us into the good works you have planned when we get sidetracked. Strengthen us for the work ahead!
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