In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law designating the first Monday of every September as “Labor Day.” It was intended to provide an additional break for hard-working men and women and to express appreciation for America’s laborers. Federal, state, and local governments were to close their offices, and other businesses, such as banks and post offices, would shut down for the day. Over a century later, many Americans see Labor Day as merely the long weekend marking the end of summer, with backyard barbecues and a final trip to the pool.

It appears we would benefit from a new appreciation for the value of work. For instance, the post office recently stopped daily mail delivery to our house, although it had been faithfully delivered each day for decades. The Post Office explained there were not enough workers to continue the daily delivery.

And it is not just the post office that lacks workers. Numerous businesses are having trouble recruiting and retaining employees — especially reliable employees who show up every day and put in an honest day’s work. As a result, many companies have resorted to offering significant signing bonuses and above-minimum-wage salaries to entice potential employees. Yet even with those incentives, companies continue to struggle to fill positions.

While “Help Wanted” signs are everywhere, it seems many are not wanting to work. And when people lose the incentive to work, they are deprived of fulfilling one of their God-given purposes in life. Bob Lupton, the author of Toxic Charity: How the Church Hurts Those They Help and How to Reverse It, suggests, “If you give someone something once, you get appreciation; twice, anticipation; three times, expectation; four times, entitlement and five times, pure dependency.”

Lupton continues, “A crises need demands an emergency response… But when you address chronic poverty needs with an emergency response, it harms people.” He then cited Hurricane Katrina as an example. Even eight years after the storm, groups continued to go to New Orleans to provide emergency response for the “victims” of Katrina, which Lupton says has created a victim culture.

Christians have a God-given responsibility to assist those who have legitimate needs. The Apostle John wrote, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (1 John 3:17). Yet the Scripture also gives clear warning not to help those who refuse to work. “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). Just giving a handout to people who refuse to work is not helping them. Rather, it deprives them of the dignity and satisfaction of learning to care for themselves.

The Bible instructs us, “…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). Work is not only a blessing, and it is an occasion to give testimony to our faith in Christ.

God intends for His people to work for several reasons:

When we are involved in meaningful work, we imitate our Heavenly Father. We are created in the image of God, and God works. Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17). That is why God gave Adam work to do before the fall. He was given the responsibility to care for the garden even before he was given a wife (Genesis 2:15). Work was a part of God’s perfect existence. The curse for sin was not having to work but doing painful and tedious work (Genesis 3:17-19).

Work is a partnership with God in meeting human needs. When we work honestly and provide for our family, we are not a burden to others. If we do well, we may have some left over to share with those in legitimate need. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

God uses work to develop our character. A demanding employer, an un-Christian co-worker, or a tedious task may be “heavenly sandpaper” to smooth out the rough edges of your life. You learn lessons at work that you wouldn’t learn anyplace else. Instead of complaining about the difficulties, maybe you should “Consider it pure joy…,” because “the testing of your faith produces perseverance” Rather than complaining about the difficulties, maybe you should “Consider it pure joy…” because “the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).

Honest labor enhances a person’s dignity. A few years ago, an entrepreneur in his late 30’s sold his business for $8,000,000. He boasted, “I don’t have to work another day in my life.” After several months of idleness, he bought another business and returned to work. He explained, “I don’t need the money, but I need the work.”

That was a wise decision. There’s a direct correlation between your sense of accomplishment and your self-esteem. If you sit around and do nothing day after day, you eventually feel like a giant slug, and your self-image suffers.

Government or church benevolence programs that encourage slothfulness are systems that devalue people and disobey God.

 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col. 3:23-24).

In Your Work Matters To God, Doug Sherman and William Hendricks write, “We think your work matters deeply to God. It is not something we do apart from God, as the secular world would view it. It is not something beneath God’s dignity and concern, as some Christians view it. Work is a major part of human life that God takes very seriously. It has intrinsic value. Through work we serve people, meet our own needs, meet our family’s needs, earn money to give to others, and through work we love God.”

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