02 13 08 Live This Life…a Labor of Love

“For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth… a time to break down, and a time to build up…What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?... God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time…have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live, and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1- NET)

There is definitely a time for everything in life, yet we all must remember that it is God who has all of time in His hand! We work hard in life and all to the glory of God. He gives us work for the provisions of life, yet He is still the provider. We receive wages for our labor, yet it is God who provides the paycheck. We also are afforded times of vacation and recreation away form the job, yet it is God who makes that rest and enjoyment possible.

God wants us to enjoy life and have times to rest and build into our families and friends. He enjoys it when He sees His children enjoying life. One caution however: we must remember it is not I who makes it possible! God gives us labor and God gives us rest. Even in our times of getting away from it all, we never get away from our Father! We must be careful to not only stay in close proximity with Him, but to also realize it is He who has given us the time to kick back and enjoy those times of fun, sun, and enjoyment!

Just as we give our children a time to play and enjoy being a kid, DADDY wants us to enjoy life with those we love. Don’t neglect those times! We must build into our marriage, our children, and our church family as well. There is some truth to the passage: eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Life is short…here on earth. Enjoy it, but to the glory of God, not to our own self-righteous and hedonistic goals and satisfaction!

God is a good God and wants all the best for us. Let the smile be genuine. Make the work be challenging and fulfilling. Allow the labor for Christ to be A LABOR OF LOVE and work wonders in His name. Then enjoy the rest He gives to each of us as well.

LIVE THIS LIFE and store up riches for the future in heaven, where it will be such a blast we can’t even comprehend!