Monday is the working man’s day! Labor Day was instituted to recognize the value and dignity of hard workers who have built this country and who continue to build it today. Instead of looking down on those who sweat to build our homes, fix our cars, and grow our food, we should honor and thank them for their service to us and to God.
We must be careful, however, to work with right motives. Many labor their whole lives to build their own kingdoms of homes and possessions. It’s easy to develop a sense of pride similar to what poisoned the Tower of Babel Builders and invited God’s judgment.
Instead of working only for selfish gain, I Corinthians 10:31 advises, “… whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” So while we should take pride in our work, we should do it to put a smile on God’s face and not just feathers in our caps. Recognizing God as our ultimate employer should cause us to produce our very best.
We learn from Babel’s Builders not to make work our idol. An idol is anything we look to for purpose, fulfillment, and meaning. That’s what this tower became for its builders and that’s what our work can become for us. God wants us to work and do great things, but not for the sake of the things themselves and not just for ourself. We must never find our identity and purpose in our work alone for our lives are much more than just our jobs. We are to find our identity and purpose in God.
Some worship their careers. They may not burn incense to them, but they burn the midnight oil for recognition and advancement. They sacrifice their children, marriages, and health on the altar of promotion and success. They look to their careers to provide peace of mind, heart, and body through the income they generate. Careers can glorify God, but if they’re only about us and our advancement, they become false gods. If they collapse, all our self-worth and value go with them. If we expect work to make us happy or fulfilled or to provide for us without realizing Who is really providing for us, we’re in for a painful wakeup call. Many worship their jobs and spend all their energy there without honoring the God who gave them gifts and strength to do those jobs.
We also must not allow what we work on to become an idol. While we should have a sense of accomplishment when we finish a house, fix a car, or teach a class, all that should relate to a bigger goal. The Bible warns us about worshiping gods of wood, metal, and stone. While we may not have carved images, many worship their stone and wood houses, metal cars, and other things we make or buy. We must not allow anything to become more important or more satisfying to us than God. If we do, we’ve built a Tower He’s going to have to demolish. What happens, God forbid, if we get laid off or injured and can’t work? Does that mean we’re less valuable? By no means! Our identity is in God as His child, in Christ as His sibling, and in His church as a redeemed believer. Yes, work and jobs are important, but let’s not allow our work or what we build or buy with our labor to become our gods.
Most importantly, we must understand that we can’t work our way to heaven with tall towers, good deeds, or hard labor. There’s only one ladder that reaches heaven, and that’s Jesus. The Tower of Babel represents all the false religions today which try to reach God through human effort and labor. Jesus already died to provide us with a bloodstained elevator that will take us directly into God’s presence. If you’ve never accepted Him, do that today. Labor Day Blessings, George