Psalm 128:2
When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.
When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.
1 Thessalonians 4
11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,
12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.
A biologist one day observed an ant carrying a piece of straw that seemed a big burden for it. The ant came to a crack in the earth that was too wide for it to cross. It stood for a time, as though pondering the situation. Then it put the straw across the crack and walked across it as a span.
“What a lesson for us!” the impressed biologist said. “The burden can become the bridge of progress.”
author unknown
THE MANUFACTURER'S HANDBOOK
wisdom
regarding labor
Deuteronomy 24
14 “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns.
15 You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he will not cry against you to the Lord and it become sin in you.
Ephesians 4
28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
Leviticus 19
13 ‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.
Jeremiah 22
13 “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness
And his upper rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And does not give him his wages,
Malachi 3
5 “I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts.
James 5
5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.
2 Thessalonians 3
11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.
Exodus 20: 8-10
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your agates.”
Proverbs 21
25 The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;
Proverbs 6
Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,
8 Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 “A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest”—
11 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.
More than most prominent Bible characters, Joseph had severe obstacles to overcome. Hated by his brothers, he was taken to Egypt against his will to be a slave. But he chose a right course. He proved to be a pleasant, hard-working, kind, helpful, and moral young man. He persisted in this manner of life even after he had been imprisoned on false charges. As a result, the Lord gave him great success.
author unknown
How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money.
Financial mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.
author unknown
A 10th century proverb:
“He that will not when he may,
When he will shall have nay.”
author unknown
Do not pray for an easy life, pray to be a stronger person.
Do not pray for tasks equal to your power, but for powers equal to your tasks.
Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.
Every day you shall wonder at yourself and the richness of life which has come to your by the grace of God.
author unknown
Financial mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.
author unknown
A 10th century proverb:
“He that will not when he may,
When he will shall have nay.”
author unknown
Do not pray for an easy life, pray to be a stronger person.
Do not pray for tasks equal to your power, but for powers equal to your tasks.
Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.
Every day you shall wonder at yourself and the richness of life which has come to your by the grace of God.
author unknown
Money can buy a bed, but not sleep
Books, but not brains
Food by no appetite
A house but not a home
Medicine but not health
Sin’s pleasures but not salvations peace
The things that really matter in life cannot be bought;
They are priceless gifts from God.
author unknown
Books, but not brains
Food by no appetite
A house but not a home
Medicine but not health
Sin’s pleasures but not salvations peace
The things that really matter in life cannot be bought;
They are priceless gifts from God.
author unknown
If you want to be rich,
just count all the things you have
that money can’t buy.
Revelation 14
13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
SPIRITUAL LABORS
Luke 10:7
THE LABORER IS WORTHY OF HIS HIRE.
Matthew 9:37
Then He said to His disciples,
“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
Harvest Time
See the grain yellow in the field, the setting sun shines down to reveal
Night's closing in and it's harvest time
Pick up your sickle don't hesitate, if we delay we're sure to be late
The clock keeps ticking and we're behind
It's harvest time
Chorus:
Can't you hear the many voices crying?
No hope, no God, they're dying in sin
We can't afford to stop our preaching
On the other hand we can't stop reaching out for them
We must bring them in
There are those out there and they are searching,
no joy, no peace and they are hurting
We must bring them in, it's harvest time
We have the message of hope and mercy,
the well of grace still flows for the thirsty
The sun is going down and it's harvest time
Words and Music by Gerald Crabb
Harvest Time
This text which encourages us to look on the fields that are white to harvest was written by Mary Brown (1856-1918). The song urges each Christian to help out in reaping the Lord's harvest.
The harvest days are here!
No longer sit with folded hands,
But gather far and near.
The noble ranks of volunteers
Are daily growing everywhere,
But still there's work for millions more!
Then for the fields prepare."
"Go seek the lost and erring ones
Who never knew the Lord;
Go lead them from the ways of sin,
And thou shalt have reward.
Go out into the hedges where
The careless drift upon the tide,
And from the highways bring them in --
Let no one be denied."
"The message bear to distant lands
Beyond the rolling sea;
Go tell them of a Savior's love --
The Lamb of Calvary.
Arise! The Master calls for thee!
Salvation full and free proclaim,
'Til every kindred, tribe, and tongue
Exalt the Savior's name!"
"Arise! Arise! The Master calls for thee;
Arise! Arise! A faithful reaper be. Arise!
The field is white, and days are going by;
Awake, awake, And answer, 'Here am I.'"
HOW LABOR DAY CAME ABOUT; WHAT IT MEANS
“Labor Day differs in every essential from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.
Founder of Labor Day
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.
Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."
But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.
The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, l883.
In l884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in l885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
Labor Day Legislation
Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 2l, l887. During the year four more states -- Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York -- created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
A Nationwide Holiday
The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday -- a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio and television.
The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership -- the American worker.
“Labor Day differs in every essential from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.
Founder of Labor Day
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.
Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."
But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.
The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, l883.
In l884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in l885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
Labor Day Legislation
Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 2l, l887. During the year four more states -- Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York -- created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
A Nationwide Holiday
The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday -- a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio and television.
The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership -- the American worker.
THE ONE CAUSE
It is to labor and to labor only, that man owes everything of exchangeable value. Labor is the talisman that has raised him from the condition of the savage; that has changed the desert and the forest into cultivated fields; that has covered the earth with cities, and the oceans with ships; that has give us plenty, comfort, and elegance, instead of want, misery, and barbarism.
