Title: Sacred Labor
Contents
“Even while we were with you, we commanded you, if anyone does not want to work, let him not eat.”
Among Millet's masterpieces, there is a work called 'Manjong'. The original title of this painting is 'Angelus', which means 'Prayer'. It is a picture of a farmer stopping his hands at the sound of a church bell and praying in a reverent manner. By the way, in this painting, the sun's rays shine on the farm implements, not on the farmer's head or the church bell tower. Millet shines bright sunlight on farm implements to express the sanctity of labor through this painting. Labor is sacred and there is no noble in occupation. Labor is a stern command from heaven. Human happiness is achieved through work. What is obtained without sweat and toil is usually worthless or unnecessary. The happiest people in the world are those who work hard with a happy heart.
St. Francis was a religious who once lived a life of debauchery, but after his conversion he spent his whole life in piety and poverty. In particular, he always taught his disciples the divinity of love and labor to share what he had with others. He not only taught, he practiced. One day while he was growing vegetables in his garden, a disciple came up to him and asked.
"Sir. If you say your life will end with the sunset today, what would you do first?" Francesco replied with a smile. “What are you going to do to grow vegetables in the garden?”
Many modern people complain of "chronic fatigue". A book called 'Karoshi' was recently published in Japan. Garroshi means 'death from overwork' in Korean. I'm writing about people who have fallen while working so hard. When a person feels tired while working, it is not the work itself, but a lack of achievement. Inventor Edison said, "It doesn't matter to me how many hours I worked or how much my salary was. It is much more efficient if I put it in the joy of accomplishing the purpose of work." Work should be done with joy and gratitude whenever possible. Jesus also said:
“God works, so I work.”
There are three typical gifts that God has given to our lives. Marriage, Sabbath, and Labor. All of them are precious, but being able to work hard among them is a blessing in my life. I'm passionate about working and it's fun. There is a stadium in Neungla-do in North Korea. It is also called the 5·1 Stadium. In North Korea, May 1st is Labor Day. Although North Korean society has a lot of errors, it is worth learning that labor is sacred.
However, today's society despises work and prefers a job that is comfortable and requires less effort. So, they are all immersed in the ideology of one, one, one, and one hundred gold, and they are living their lives. Even the prayers of our Christians contain this cold-heartedness. “Like a miracle, prosper, like fire, like a shower… .” All of these are bullshit.
The Bible says, “A man is satisfied with the fruit of his mouth, and he receives according to the works of his hands” (Proverbs 12:14). 2) said. A life in which you can feel joy and happiness in a life of hard work is a truly happy life.
What are the benefits of work?
1) It is to keep the commandments of God. (Exodus 20:9)
2) You will be paid according to your labor. (Leviticus 19:13, Proverbs 14:23)
3) Eat according to the labor of your hands. (Psalm 128:2)
4) You can enjoy pleasure after working. (Ecclesiastes 3:13)
5) I am praised by people (Proverbs 31:31).
6) You can sleep sweetly. (Ecclesiastes 5:12)
7) You will live happily with your wife (Ecclesiastes 9:9)
8) We can help those in need. (Acts 20:35, Ephesians 4:28)
There was a Christian servant in a Christian family. One day, the owner calls the servant and says, “I have to leave my house from today”, and the servant asks in surprise. “Why are you telling me to leave?” The master answered, “Because you have transgressed the fourth commandment.” asked the mother. “When did I break a Sunday? Doesn’t everyone in the family know that we must go to the chapel on Sundays?” The owner answers. “I did not miss church attendance on Sunday, but it was because I broke the commandment to work diligently for six days.” God's rest comes after God's creative work. Without labor, there is no rest. For those who do not work, even a break is just a time of pain. Therefore, it is a tremendous blessing that we can work. Labor is sacred. Jesus also worked as a carpenter. I hope that all the members of the church will faithfully carry out their assigned work diligently and with a joyful heart.
* Prayer: Lord, who taught us the sanctity of work, grant me the power I need to do my work today, grant me the sincerity I need to do it better, even though no one will be watching me and praising me or pointing me out Let me build up self-discipline to work hard. I confess the spiritual laziness in me. Please have mercy on me and forgive me for having been busy making excuses here and there rather than putting it into practice. May I be faithful in my daily life and give me the wisdom to live a life of scale and moderation so that I may live a fragrant life that preaches the Lord. Help me to faithfully carry out the tasks entrusted to me today, and prepare me for the tasks in the future. I pray in Jesus name, amen