Adopt a Labor Day Attitude
I hope you are looking forward to this holiday weekend. It’s a welcome pause in such a frantic and stressful year.
Labor Day, which celebrates the American worker, looks a lot different in 2020 with the pandemic and so many unemployed. Perhaps it takes a crisis for us to truly appreciate our jobs.
We all get fulfillment from labor, whether it’s a satisfying long day at the office or simply cutting the grass at home. God likes it when we work, too.
At our company, we focus on hard work and success so that we can give more to those in need. It’s a blessing to be able to work, and we want to pass that blessing on.
This lesson from theologian and author James P. Eckman discusses the eight Biblical principles of work.
Blessed to be a Blessing,
Greg Syfan,
President, Syfan Logistics
‘A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?’
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25
Adopt a Labor Day Attitude
By James P. Eckman
Author of ‘Christian Ethics in a Postmodern World’
Work sets a person’s lifestyle. Another constant about work is the fact that God has a clear perspective on it. Consider the following eight principles from the Bible that outline God’s view of work.
1. Work is ordained by God. It was His creative invention from the beginning. Additionally, God gave us the task of ruling over and taking care of His creation. (Genesis 1:28, 2:15)
2. Work is for a lifetime. Meaningful activity plays a critical role in being a human being – whether paid or volunteer. (Genesis 3:19)
3. Work is not a punishment. God did not create work as drudgery, but as a gift of fulfillment to life. (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25)
4. Work has three purposes: to provide money or resources to supply the necessities of life; to provide for a quality of life in the satisfaction of doing a job well; and to serve God.
5. Work calls for obedience. The real boss is Jesus Christ. See your job as service to Him – not simply your employer. Employers should treat employees with respect and fairness. (Colossians 3:22)
6. Work should be done with excellence. God’s standard of excellence needs to be the human standard. (Ephesians 6:6-7)
7. Work is honorable. All kinds of work, assuming they are legally and biblically ethical, are honorable before the Lord. All work brings glory to God and fulfillment to you, if it is done to God’s glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
8. Work provides an opportunity for witness. You manifest a powerful message, both verbal and nonverbal, of a supernatural approach to work. The world today needs this powerful witness to the reality of Christ and the difference that He makes in His followers. (Matthew 5:16)