They say that if you work your fingers to the bone, your reward is –boney fingers! Since the dawn of civilization and in particular, the fall of man, we have been working and sweating and working and sweating some more. Of course, we have no one to blame except ourselves. But for Pete’s sake can’t we catch a break? Is there any possibility for reward better than boney fingers? When the Lord told Adam that he would now have to toil the earth by the sweat of his brow He didn’t promise him any rewards –just sweat! And for all you Optimists, let me just say God was as negative here as one can be. Listen to what He says: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it, you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” In other words, because of man’s sin, the ground is cursed and we are sentenced to hard labor until death. Doesn’t sound very pleasant to me; does it you?

But God, being the merciful God that He is, has enabled us to profit from our labor. He has also given us opportunities to be rewarded along our way back to the soil. Solomon tells us that finding satisfaction in our work and being contented during the days of our lives is a gift from God. “What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil –this is the gift of God.” Eccl.3:9-13 We will labor by the sweat of our brows –period! But those who can be content and happy while they do are blessed in this life. It would be a terrible thing to go through life constantly complaining about our work, always looking for short cuts so that we don’t have to put forth the effort and then, finally, dying a miserable death penniless. And believe me, one second after death –nobody has any money! Hotdogs go down much better when you’re not complaining that all you have to eat are hotdogs! Solomon tells us that when a man finds satisfaction in his work, God’s hand is upon him and who can eat or find any enjoyment without Him? If your lot in life is difficult and you just go around complaining about it and trying to skirt responsibility, don’t boast about how God is in your life. Because if I was God and had to listen to you complain all the time, I think I would allow just any little thing to irritate you. Then think about how happy you would be! My friends, God has made a way in this life so that even though we may toil and sweat, we may also find it rewarding. Oh, by the way, God does offer us a new hope for all of our labor. Our labor for the Lord that is! “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1Cor.15:58

Have a great week!
Pastor Jim