It appears sometimes that our Christian labor is in vain. Life on a treadmill. We strive, struggle, and sweat in our work, and it seems that we have done it all for nothing. If you read Ecclesiastes, you see how the labors of a person are indeed in vain if they are separated from dedication to God. We see the depressing attitude of this writer in the complaints of many working people today. "What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?" (Eccl. 1:3) And again, "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun" (2:11). His gains fall short of expectation and jealousy sets in. "The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep" (Eccl. 5:12).

Christian labor is not to be centered on the struggle or the results. It should not be a unionized effort to gain the most profit for the least amount of work. It is not to find its goal in dictating to the master the terms of employment. It is to be centered on its purpose-to do the works of God.

Even our best efforts seem to fall short. Paul felt this when he wrote to the Galatian church, "I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain (Gal. 4:11; cf. Phil. 2:16).

Yet Paul is also able to see, as all Christians should, that through Christ's victory over death, our "labor is never in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). Notice the words, "in the Lord." Otherwise vanity rules. It is important to remember that any fruit for our labor must also be considered as from the hand of God. In the end, our labor, by itself, does produce nothing. It is only in Christ that we will bear much fruit (Jn. 15:5). The Apostle Paul worked hard and had the scars to prove it. He saw this as a gift of grace: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me (1 Cor. 15:10).

A lot depends on what we are working for. In John 6 Jesus said, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life." The crowd then asked Jesus the ultimate question, "What shall we do that we may work the works of God?" (6:27-28). We might expect that Jesus would give them a list of commandments or some laws. He didn't. Instead, listen to His answer, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (6:29). To "believe" . . . that is what God expects from us. All our work flows from that life-altering belief. Performing the work that God desires of us begins with faith in Jesus Christ whom He sent to do His will. And our labor every day must proceed from and be consistent with that faith. Whatever is not of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).

We work for a very generous Master. Thankfully, we are not rewarded according to our work at all! We fall short of His will every day. We are unfaithful in our lives every day. What right do we have to expect anything for our labors but a pink slip? In the end we are all "unprofitable servants" who have only done our minimum duty. Luke 17:10 tells us, "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do." This might sound depressing. But, Jesus taught this to teach us to live by faith and depend on the grace of God. Christ's imputed work gives us righteousness. Thank God that the blessings we receive are the gifts of grace. This is not only in matters of salvation, but the bread on your table is the gift of God's grace despite your imperfect labors.

Ever since the Fall, labor has been very difficult and at times appears futile. But Jesus has changed all that. The person who lives and works by faith is able to see that he is working for the Lord and His Kingdom. Our "Labor Day" is different from the world's, simply because to do the works of God requires us to believe in His Son. Our work then must be done faithfully, with our prayer for God's blessing on it. And God, who uses our feeble efforts, promises that it will never be in vain. (Heb. 13:20-21).

- PHT, Modesto, CA