Celebrate God

This weekend we will celebrate Labor Day. It has become the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of the fall season (even though fall doesn't officially begin until September 22nd).

According to internet sources, Labor Day was created to honor the contributions and achievements of American workers and to advocate for better working conditions during a time when laborers faced long hours and unsafe working conditions. (That sounds like the vast majority of famers that I know! They are "forced" to work long hours and do so, at times in unsafe working conditions. Anyway, I digress...) Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894.

The focus of Labor Day is the "American worker" but, as Christians, our focus should always be upon God!

Keep in mind...

It was God Who created us and He created us to work!

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. - Genesis 2:8-15

It is God Who has given us the ability - the skills and capacity - to work.

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. - Deuteronomy 8:18

In Exodus 31:3-5, it was God Who gave the individual Hebrews, responsible for the building of the Tabernacle, the necessary skills to do so.

It is God Who blesses our hard work.

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. - Proverbs 22:29

Also see Matthew 25:14-30.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 states:

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

This weekend, regardless of where or how you celebrate Labor Day, be sure that you celebrate God Who "giveth us richly all things to enjoy;" (1 Timothy 6:17)