Labor day is observed on the first Monday in September and it celebrates the achievements of the American workforce. All of us have to work in order to survive in this world and some of us work hard for a living. The fruits of our labor are safety and security for our family. Psalm 128:1-2 says “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” According to the bible if we fear the Lord then we will eat the fruits of our labor which are blessings and prosperity.
Does this mean that blessings and prosperity are the reason we come closer to God? There are a lot of Christians these days who come to God because of what God can give them. Prosperity is preached in many churches today and there is a general consensus that if you come to God and have a relationship with him then you will be rich and prosperous. Is this true?
In Matthew 6:31-33 Jesus says “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these. things shall be added unto you”. Jesus talks about seeking the kingdom of God first and not the other way around. We do not seek God so he can give us prosperity and other blessings. God promises to take care of our needs here on Earth when we fear God and work for his kingdom. This does not necessarily mean that God is going to make you a millionaire but he will take care of your earthly needs.
This labor day as we remember the accomplishments of all workers everyone let us not forget God and all his blessings. We spend a lot of time and energy trying to be successful and have great careers but if we do this and neglect our relationship with God then we will not grow spiritually. John 6:27 says “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Let us always remember to seek God and his kingdom in our life. Our work and our careers should never replace the relationship that we have with Jesus Christ. Let us pray that God will give us the wisdom to understand if anything we do on this Earth takes us away from our relationship with him so that we can fix it. The time and energy we put into our work and our careers are temporary but the fruit of our labor when we work for the kingdom of God is eternal.
Happy Labor Day!