September 1, 2023
Thank you for your prayers for my dad the last few weeks. My brother in Hot Springs has moved him into an assisted living facility there, and I'm heading up this morning to see him and to help clear out his old apartment. Please pray for safe travels, for a joyful time with my dad and brother, and for ongoing discernment as we handle my dad's affairs.
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Every Labor Day weekend, my thoughts go to what God in His word says about work:
Work is not a result of the fall, for God ordained it in Eden as a good gift (Genesis 1-2).
Because of the fall, work is hard (Genesis 3).
Despite the fall, God tells us that we ought to work if we are able (II Thessalonians 3:6-15).
In light of the fall, God tells us to work six days, with all our might, for Jesus (Exodus 20; Colossians 3:23; Colossians 3:24)
There is always a dual temptation to be lazy and resist God's call to work, or to make a god out of work. Yet as Christians, we remind ourselves that there is only one God who can satisfy us, who can give us a permanent identity, and who can rightfully demand us to obey. And we remind ourselves that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus for good works - and work (our vocation) is one of those good works that He has ordained beforehand for us to walk in. As we do what He has gifted and called us to do - whether for remuneration or in retirement or disability - we honor Him.
Thank God this weekend for the gift of work. Pray for those who are looking for jobs. Encourage those who are in jobs they wish they could leave. Serve your employer/your employees, and thus serve the Lord Christ with all your might!