Time for Celebrating a Labor of Love

Of all our American holidays, Labor Day is probably the most confusing. In the minds of some, it marks the unofficial end of summer. Others might regard the holiday weekend as the annual launch of football season. For many schoolchildren, Labor Day signifies the end of summer vacation and time to return to the classroom. While for many folks, it’s just an opportunity to hit the pause button before the most hectic time of the year begins.

 

The holiday was birthed in the late 19^th century, when labor activists were advocating an annual celebration of the many contributions workers had made to the strength, prosperity and overall health of the nation. It came at the peak of the Industrial Revolution, when many workers were putting in 12-hour days, seven days a week to eke out a minimal livelihood. Worker strikes, protests and riots led up to Congressional action declaring a federal holiday, signed into law on June 28, 1894. Tangible changes in working hours, compensation and benefits were to follow.

 

Imagine the creativity and effort required
to construct this spiral staircase.

So, while many of us are spending the day at cookouts, various outings or just relaxing, enjoying a day off work, it’s fitting that we pause for a brief homage to American workers, men and women who not only have managed to earn a livelihood for themselves and their families, but also have contributed to the well-being of our society in countless ways.

 

It can also serve as a reminder that from the beginning, work was God’s idea. Even before the sins of Adam and Eve broke up their idyllic existence in Eden, the Lord had ordained work as a good use of our time and talents, as well as a way of giving glory to Him as our Creator.

 

We find this clearly expressed in the first chapter of Genesis. After stating that God created male and female in His image, it says, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…. I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food” (Genesis 1:28-29).

 

Sadly, after the original couple defied the Lord by eating fruit from the one tree God had forbidden them to eat from, work became difficult: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life…. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…” (Genesis 1:17-19). Perhaps, before their “fall,” when Eve asked Adam to fetch her a particular type of food he would respond, “No sweat.” No longer.

 

This in no way negates the truth that God, the ultimate worker, desires for us to also work and honor Him in the process. In fact, the Scriptures say it’s one means for receiving recognition and advancing through society: “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men” (Proverbs 22:29). 

 

In Ecclesiastes, generally attributed to King Solomon, we find a sometimes-negative perspective on work. For instance, he writes, “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). And yet, later in the chapter he writes, “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God” (Ecclesiastes 2:24).

 

A couple chapters later, Solomon affirms the benefits of collaborating with others: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

 

Other verses from Proverbs affirm the value of hard work, such as, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Proverbs 10:4) and, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Poverty 14:23).

 

Then the New Testament book of Colossians revisits the idea that work is not only productive and profitable, but also a way for serving and glorifying our Creator God: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

As many of us enjoy another day off from our jobs, vocations and professions, it would be good also to remember that work is a good and noble thing, birthed in the infinite and wonderful mind of God. It should be a time of celebration – and worship! 

Puzzling Through Our Priorities

If someone were to ask you, “What are your priorities in life?”, how would you respond? Have you ever consciously tried to define them, or do you prefer the “knee-jerk reaction” approach?

We all have priorities, even if we can’t list them specifically. For instance, you’re in an important meeting at work, but you receive an urgent phone call that someone in your immediate family has been hurt in an auto accident. You probably wouldn’t say you’ll get to the hospital in a couple of hours, and proceed to the next agenda item, right? Personal emergencies usually take precedence over just about anything.

What are your priorities?

Sometimes, however, priorities aren’t as easy to sort through. Imagine you’ve made a commitment to attend one of your children’s school events. You’ve promised. But at the last minute your boss gives you an assignment that conflicts directly with your attendance at that event. Which do you choose? Do you tell the child that, even though you’d love to be there, work responsibilities must come first – hoping he or she will understand?

Or maybe you’re getting ready for church, just about to go out the door, when a neighbor calls in obvious emotional distress, asking for your advice. Do you assure the neighbor you’ll be glad to talk with her later, but sorry, you need to get to the worship service first?

Years ago, a man I greatly respected would often speak about proper priorities for a follower of Jesus Christ, and he would list them this way: 1) God, 2) marriage/family, 3) work, 4) ministry, 5) everything else. At first glance this seems correct. After all, the Scriptures tell us we’re to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30). From a biblical perspective, putting God first in our lives shouldn’t be a matter for debate.

However, I see one problem with ordering priorities in this way. There’s a temptation to devote some time to “God stuff” – like spending a few minutes reading the Bible, praying a bit, maybe attending church or a Bible study – and then we shrug our shoulders, thinking, “Well, I’ve got the spiritual things out of the way. Now I can get on with the rest of my life.”

Instead, I would suggest a similar priority list, with one significant modification: 1) God, 2) God and marriage/family, 3) God and work, 4) God and ministry, 5) God and everything else.

Maybe it’s a uniquely American tendency, but it’s easy for us to compartmentalize life. We have a “God section,” separated from other parts of our everyday pursuits. If we take the Scriptures seriously, this isn’t at all what God expects. That doesn’t mean we must spend every waking hour walking about in flowing robes, hands folded in prayer, speaking soft, religious-sounding platitudes wherever we go. It does mean we’re not to set Him aside when we show up for work, go to the golf course, or visit the local mall.

As the apostle Paul said in explaining his faith in Jesus Christ to the Areopagus, an esteemed council of Greek leaders, while visiting the ancient city of Athens, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Similar to breathing, in which we cannot exist without an environment of oxygen, the apostle saw his life fully enmeshed with his relationship to Christ.

In several other passages, Paul stated our focus on God should be a distinctive of everything we think, do and say: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:17,23). Elsewhere he wrote, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Applying these teachings to the matter of priorities, it seems our relationship with the Lord should be foundational to everything we undertake, whether weighing personal commitments, making sales calls, deciding how to maintain and strengthen relationships with our mates, competing on a tennis court, or evaluating spending decisions.

As Jesus urged His followers, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). He seemed to be saying, either God is everything in our lives – or He is nothing.

In some respects, this seems like a hard saying, but not when we consider, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). It’s all about priorities.

‘Christian’ and Businessman: An Oxymoron?

Seems hard to believe, but more than 34 years ago I moved to Chattanooga to join the staff of an organization then known as Christian Business Men’s Committee (CBMC). I’d been in the newspaper business as an editor and publisher for about 10 years, but the next decades taught me more about the business and professional world than if I’d earned three MBAs.

An expanded edition of Business
At Its Best has been released.

The curious thing was that for many people, faith and work seemed diametrically opposed – oxymorons, like “jumbo shrimp,” “seriously funny” or “hurry slowly.” I even heard someone say, “Christian businessman? Make up your mind – which one? You can’t be both.” And yet, my encounters with thousands of people having strong faith who also were very successful in the marketplace proved to me that matters of faith could – and should – intersect with everyday workplace issues and practices.

Through the years I realized some basic truths. Such as, from God’s perspective, there’s no distinction between “sacred” and “secular.” Everything matters to Him. And there aren’t multiple tiers, first and second classes of people when it comes to following Jesus Christ. In fact, Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive the reward of the inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

One day I was having lunch with a financial planner, a friend from church, and he blurted out, “I’d give anything to work full-time for God.” Without hesitating, I replied, “What makes you think you haven’t already done that?” He’d been seduced by the clergy/missionary vs. “layman” misconception, that to be in “Christian service” for God you must have some kind of formal religious affiliation. Again, the Bible doesn’t make such a distinction. If we’re followers of Christ, we’re all called to serve Him and others in His name, and true faith isn’t a part-time pursuit.

When the apostle Paul wrote, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ…. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord…” (Ephesians 6:5-8), he could just as easily have been addressing employees or workers. And in the next verses Paul challenges “masters” to treat those under them with equal respect and understanding. He could have been writing these words to bosses or CEOs.

This isn’t a message, however, we often hear from the sanctuary. Because many pastors have proceeded directly from college to seminary to the sanctuary, having never experienced the rigors of the contemporary workplace with its stresses, challenges and temptations. You can’t teach above where you’re living.

Thankfully, since the 1980s there’s been a virtual explosion of books on how the spiritual and the pragmatic can effectively merge. I’ve been involved in writing more than a dozen of them myself. And respected periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Report and Business Week from time to time acknowledge there’s a place for spirituality in the 21^st century workplace.

For this reason, I’ve just re-published a book I wrote about 10 years ago, Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace. It’s my contention that the wisdom from the Bible, not only Proverbs but also many other passages in the Scriptures, applies directly to the ever-changing, high-pressure, hyper-competitive marketplace of the 21^st century.

At the urging of a good friend, I revised the original text and added 13 new chapters, expanding it to a total of 53 quick reading chapters on topics such as integrity, competition, finances, anger, guidance, communications, leadership, patience, persistence, humility, generosity and teamwork. Even gossip. At the end of each chapter I’ve included several open-ended questions called “Putting It Into Practice,” designed for both introspection and small-group discussions.

I recall one CEO stating that for years he had immersed himself in how-to books and motivational messages, seeking to learn how to become more successful. Then he encountered the Bible and before long realized more wisdom could be gleaned from its pages than all of the other books and tapes he’d spent countless hours listening to and reading. And I wholeheartedly agree.

So, at the risk of seeming a shameless self-promoter, I’d like you to check out Business At Its Best on Amazon.com and hopefully, purchase a copy. As a wise author advised me years ago, “If you’re not willing to promote your own book, then why did you write it?” If you like it, recommend it to family and friends. You might even want to give it to someone as a gift with Christmas approaching.

My favorite verse from Proverbs – my “life verse” – says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). That assurance has certainly proved true in my work and career, as well as in our family. The reason is simple: Eternal truth has no expiration date.