Created Sat. Oct. 26, 2002

One would definitely have to call the Bible and God pro-labor! Here are a number of scriptures to show you what I mean. this article was designed to supplement my article on "Materialism "and well as "Love, the Most Important Pursuit," and "Or Sinfulness," all of which are linked in Related Articles above. Anyway, enjoy the scriptures!

1 Peter 4:9 Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another. 10 As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

*If we have gifts, such as talents, skills or abilities that others might not have, we are to use those in behalf of our brothers generously, not demanding great payment or compensation for our skills or labor in their behalf. On the other hand, the law of love would prevent a brother from letting another brother give him too much without properly compensating him as you are able. But when we give, it should not be reluctantly or grudgingly. It should be with joy and generosity, right?

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if you will receive My words, and treasure up My commandments with you, 2 so that you attend to wisdom, you shall extend your heart to understanding. 3 For if you cry for discernment, lifting up your voice for understanding; 4 if you seek her as silver, and search for her as hidden treasures, 5 then you shall understand the fear of Jehovah and find knowledge of God.

*The largest pert of our labor should be spent, not on seeking treasure such as silver and gold, that is to say, money. We should seek the wisdom and knowledge of God as most seek money, believing that wisdom is far greater a treasure, which it truly is.

Ecclesiastes 4: 4 And I considered every labor, and every advantage of the work, that it is the envy of a man against his neighbor; this is also vanity and striving after wind. 6 Better is a palm filled with rest, than two fists with labor and striving after wind.

7 Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun. 8 There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he has neither son nor brother; and there is no end to all his labor; even his eyes are not satisfied with riches; and he says, For whom do I labor, and take good from my soul? This is also vanity. Yes, it is an evil task.

*Solomon points out the meaninglessness of working all the time with nothing to show for it. Also in vain is the vast amount of worry and anxiety spent over making money and keeping it. Money does not come without a price. The price is very costly in terms of sanity, peace of mind, health, and lack of enjoyment of life. It does not consider the spiritual toll of making money. But spiritual people will not be unaware of that price and will seek spiritual things instead.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 Look on life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, which He gave you under the sun, all the days of your vanity. For that is your share in this life, and in your labor which you labor under the sun.

*The best thing you can get out of life, without burdening yourself with making big money, is to enjoy the love and companionship of your wife or husband.

Isaiah 23:18 And her goods and her wages shall be holiness to Jehovah; it shall not be hoarded nor stored; for her goods shall be for those who dwell before Jehovah, to eat enough, and for a choice covering.

*There are those who hoard money, depriving others of any benefit. It will not be that way in God's Kingdom but it is that way for now. But we would not want to be selfish hoarders of wealth, insisting that we get to keep it all and not share it with those who labor in our behalf.

Deuteronomy 26:6 And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and put hard labor on us.

Deuteronomy 26:7 And we cried to Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression.

*Egypt's big sin was her willingness to work Israel hard and unfairly, and to not compensate them justly. They were oppressed with the large burden of labor. Most companies today also commit the same sin as Egypt, bitterly oppressing workers with unjust minimum wages and often very hard labor. Abuse of labor is a very serious crime in the eyes of God. Christians would definitely not want to be guilty of such crimes. Those who pay low unjust wages shall not inherit God's Kingdom. Jesus said it would be easier for a camel to go through a needles eye than for a rich man to inherit God's Kingdom. That is because most get rich at the expense of others who are not justly compensated for their labor.

1 Thessalonians 5:12 But we beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

*Labor, any labor, should be respected and appreciated. When we go to a fast food joint or other places and are served or waited on by what are viewed by most as menial jobs and employees, do we appreciate their service or do we look down on them? Remember that some of them could be Christians and Christ's brothers. To look down on them wold be to incur the wrath of Christ. Is that what you want? Their labor, regardless of how simple or undesirable to do, is very important.

*Many people depend a lot on fast food and could not do without it in our fast paced world. Though not acknowledged by employers, these fast food workers, various attendants and cashiers and others are all very important and necessary labor that we could not do without. We are commanded to respect and appreciate their labor in our behalf. We should not view what they do as their obligation but as their service and kindness to us that deserves at the very least, a thank you and politeness.

Luke 10:7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages

*See what that says? A laborer deserves his wages. And by wages, we are not talking about a few pennies or crumbs of food. Decent, fair, reasonable wages so that one can at least eat and have something to wear and afford a rent, some place to live.

Romans 4:4 Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due.

*Wages are not a gift! They are an obligation, a debt that you owe when labor is performed for you. And when you labor for others, you deserve a wage. No one should expect something for free.

1Timothy 5:18 for the scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages."

*Ever worked in fast food joints? You are forbidden to touch a fry or an onion ring. But the Bible condemns this attitude! So for those of you who are employers, be careful not to be stingy and miserly. If you employees work around food, let them have a little. It could probably be said about many other things, too. And it is not uncommon for those who employ people in service jobs such as fitness centers to allow free use of the facilities in off hours or at a reduced rate so it is not unheard of even in our day to do such things.

James 5:4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Leviticus 19:13 "You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

*These two scriptures are pretty strong, wouldn't you say? Have you even seen or heard of someone who used laws to screw someone out of pay for a job or service and rip them off. More than once I have seen or heard of this. Those who rip off and take advantage of people will not inherit God's Kingdom.

Jeremiah 22:13 "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing, and does not give him his wages;

*To not pay people for their labor? What a sin! Don't let God catch you doing that.

Malachi 3:5 "Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

*For this article, we are focusing on labor. Those who oppress the hireling or worker in his wages shall be judged by God and that won't be a good thing, I assure you.

2 Peter 2:15 forsaking a straight path, they went astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

*The wages of unrighteousness are wages gained by wicked means. Some examples would be various types of stealing, including fraud; killing for money, prostituting yourself or worse, others. Or by merely charging far more than what something is worth, or holding someone at ransom or taking advantage of someone in a desperate situation. Doctors, lawyers, and mechanics are people who often take advantage of the plight of others and charge vast sums of money for their help.

Ephesians 4:28 The one stealing, let him steal no more, but rather let him labor, working what is good with the hands, that he may have something to give to the one that has need.

*Working honestly with your hands is a good thing. You can never feel guilty about that.

2 Thessalonians 3:8 nor did we eat bread from anyone as a gift, but by labor and toil, working night and day in order not to burden anyone of you.

*Though Paul had the right to expect to be somehow compensated for his labor in behalf of others, he gladly worked for anything he received so as not to burden those he preached to. We would never want to burden our brothers and sisters in the faith, expecting something or anything without paying them, particularly if it tends to burden them.

Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust, to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed to His name, ministering to the saints, and now are ministering.

*Unlike worldly employers who do not respect labor, we are promised that God will not forget our labor on His behalf or on behalf of the saints, our brothers and sisters in the faith. This is what Jesus called storing treasures in heaven. But be careful not to brag about it or you receive you compensation in full now. Jesus says do it in secret and you will be repaid.

1 Corinthians 9:7 Who serves as a soldier at his own wages at any time? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

*When we work, no matter what it is or how simple or mundane it might be, we have earned our keep and deserve a share in the profits, whether in produce, merchandise or just plain money. No soldier is expected to serve at his own expense, right? So it is with all labor.

Isaiah 55:2 Why do you weigh out silver for that which is not bread, and your labor for what never satisfies? Listen carefully to Me and eat the good; and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Isaiah 65:23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for terror. For they are the seed of the beloved ones of Jehovah, and their offspring with them.

*It is a very bitter pill to swallow when we work or labor in vain, never seeing anything for it. How would you feel if you worked for someone for a couple weeks and then did not get paid? Do you or would you like the feeling? But much of our wages goes to taxes and other things for which we see little benefit. Have not fear. Though we must continue to pay our taxes by command of God, He promises the day when we will never work for nothing and will see plenty of benefit for what we do. Sound good?

John 6:27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of man will give to you; for God the Father sealed this One.

*Our focus should always be for the spiritual food, the nourishment and education of our brain in the things of God. Our concern for physical food should be of secondary importance.

1 Corinthians 15:58 So that, my beloved brothers, you be firm, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord always, knowing that your labor is not without fruit in the Lord.

*It is reassuring to know that what we do for God will not be in vain or without reward. So many things we do today can be all for nothing. Ever bought a house on mortgage and later get laid off and end up loosing it? It was all for nothing, right. Ever got unjustly sued for an accident or something and lost everything as a result? Or have an accident and be uninsured and end up with a staggering debt that you can not ever pay back, leaving you permanently behind the 8 ball? There are so many ways that we can lose it all in today's unjust wicked world. But when we labor for spiritual things and things of God, our labor is never in vain, never without fruit.

Some Closing Thoughts
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There are things to think about far from the obvious. Exploitation of labor and taking advantage of people's desperate circumstances if truly wicked. When someone is poor, they do not have a lot of bargaining power in regards to wages or anything else. And when someone is starving in a famine, we could take advantage of that and charge outrageous prices. This often happens after a disaster such as an earthquake, tornado, or whatever.

We can also exploit our children if we use them to make money such as in sports or entertainment, driving them to perform and taking much of their money, leaving them with hardly anything when they reach adult age. We could exploit anyone in any number of ways. Perhaps they merely lack knowledge, either of the market value of something, or of life in general. Those who take advantage of them are wicked.

Christians treat others well, even when they do not need to or could do otherwise and get away with it. Further, it does not need to be money. Maybe we take advantage of hospitality. Maybe we tell a lie to someone in order to get them into bed and have a good time. There are many ways to defraud and harm someone. The Bible often focuses on money and labor since they are the most common. But to rob someone of justice is just as bad, if not even worse. And there are plenty of scriptures against that, too.

There are numerous situations I could cover here. But I will not bother. It is for each one of you to carefully contemplate so that you can avoid hurting someone. For anyone who deliberately hurts another will answer to God. We do not need to doubt that. But also consider that he who is not aware of how he is hurting another will still answer for his ignorance if he was not trying to improve himself. It may not prevent him from being saved, but he will still have to account for it and change. And if he is a decent person, it may cause him or her a lot of pain to know they were hurting people, even if they were not aware at the time that they were doing so.

So we want to give this plenty of thought. Now some people will worry about what language they use or what movies they see or what music they listen to. But giving more thought to how we might hurt others or take advantage of them or exploit them would be a much better thing to occupy our minds with, rather than worry about movies and music.

Jesus said it is not what enters into a man that defiles him. It is what comes out of his heart. Music and movies may enter into our eyes and thoughts but that is not how we get defiled, no more than if we eat what was once ritually unclean food. Those thoughts and sights can be allowed to pass quite uneventfully. Rather it is what we allow ourselves to say and do that can defile us.

There are so many ways we can hurt others and the world takes those for granted. Looking down on menial labor is much more horrendous that to listen to vulgar music. Taking advantage of people in so many different ways is far worse than watching a questionable movie. So when you consider how to spend y our time and what it is you preach to others, consider abuse far more than you would music, movies, and other such trivial worries.

Develop some perspective and priorities in your practice of Christianity. Pursue love and fine works. Give attention to how you treat others. The rest will take care of itself.

Materialism and Its Subtle Dangers

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