The Alpha of Labour

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UV 3075/10000 The Alpha of Labour
And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour
Ecclesiastes 2 v 10

Labour has its own rewards. The Lord has ordained life such that we enjoy the fruit of all our labour. When a person works hard and earns profit, it is his God-given portion to enjoy the results of his work. The Word has a lot to say about work. Though work came into being due to the fall of man and man had to work the land in order to produce food to eat, it can be a source of great blessing. Scripture rebukes people for laziness and idleness even as it praises diligence, industry, the application of intelligence and talent to improve life for oneself and others. The idea of the protestant work ethic comes from this teaching. The purpose of work is not just to earn money for ourselves but to blessed and to be a blessing to others by rendering service and help to others around us.
We got to not only work hard but work smart. Our creativity and productivity are more significant than mere drudgery or the willingness to put in long hours of work without rest or leisure. Spending time on sharpening the saw while cutting wood is a metaphor for development of our soft as well as technical skills. Working not just alone, ploughing a lonely furrow but in teams for the very word team means, “together everyone achieves more.” Involving the Lord in our work and not excluding Him thrills His heart and blesses our work abundantly for He is able to do far more than our natural skills or talents. Scripture states that it is He who gives us the ability to produce riches.
Many of us treat God as an ignoramus in our respective work spheres but there is no knowledge or ability that is beyond Him. Asking the Lord for wisdom to execute our work effectively and efficiently could help us surmount dangers, risks, threats, challenges and failures in our work place. In any sphere of work, the Lord is the Number one Professional- the Best Police Officer who knows who has done it right from the start, the best doctor who knows the diagnosis and the cure to any disease or ailment, the greatest Teacher who knows and imparts the lessons of life that no one else can teach, the greatest Psychologist and Trainer, the greatest Engineer, the greatest Administrator, the greatest Scientist and Technologist who founded the earth and the universe, the greatest astronomer, the greatest horticulturist, the greatest historian, biologist and so on. The Lord blesses our work to make it successful, productive, useful, profitable and enjoyable. He does not want us to turn into workaholics but provides us the space and balance to take rest and renew ourselves in Him through prayer, worship, meditation.