With this post going out in the midst of Labor Day weekend, addressing some aspect of the concept of work and what God has to say about it seems more than appropriate. After all, when God decided to tell the grand story of our creation and redemption, He began by describing His activities during the world’s first work week, which turned out to be one of the most productive weeks God ever had. That initial demonstration sort of set the stage for letting us know how important He considers work to be. And in the centuries that unfolded since then, He continued to make it clear that work is not a secondary issue or minor concept with Him. 

Interesting Questions Emerge ~
In light of all that, sharing an observation or two in honor of the workers who keep everything running, and in honor of the God whose work provides every good thing we have, is certainly in order. And along those lines, a familiar ritual that often unfolds when two guys initially meet one another comes to mind. There are a few questions that almost always emerge and one of them in particular is worth exploring in the context of this discussion.

Those questions we ask as sort of a greeting ritual are part of our overall quest to identify who the person is that we’re talking to, and to look for shared interests or other common ground upon which to develop a sense of connection. Exchanging names is a primary objective, of course, and is usually laid to rest early in the encounter. What comes next in the ritual varies, but for us here in Middle Tennessee, it’s fairly predictable. With the continuous stream of folks moving in from other states, a couple of initial questions are likely to be, “Where are you from?” and “What brought you here?” But it isn’t long before the subject of work emerges. It may be introduced with a question like, “What do you do?” or “Where do you work?” Or it could be formed in the way that most intrigues us today; i.e., “Who do you work for?”

Beyond the Company Logo ~
That question amplifies the simple thought we’d like to highlight today. Our answer to the “Who do you work for” question introduces a perspective with the potential to affect our lives in ways that extend far beyond a company logo or the business card in our pocket. The answer to that question can have incredible influence in how we deal with the most important relationships we have because it involves the idea of partnership. God began to reveal how important that concept is to Him when He made one simple statement to Adam:

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him. (Genesis 2:18 NKJV)

Until that point, God had declared that everything He did and all that it represented was good. Adam’s aloneness was not. And this is not new information for us. We’ve all heard innumerable sermons and Bible study lessons and devotionals reminding us that in His freshly created, pristine, perfect world, there was only one thing that God said was not good. Adam was the flawless image of God with no defects at any level. It was not a defect in Adam that prompted God’s negative response. It was his aloneness. To God, Adam’s aloneness was not just a less-than-optimum situation. To God, it was intolerable. But because He didn’t elaborate on His response, we’re left a bit puzzled as to what made it so unacceptable.   

Resolving the Problem ~
There doesn’t seem to be any way that aloneness could have violated God’s righteousness or that it somehow impugned His sense of justice. Adam’s aloneness didn’t ignore any mandates or transgress any boundaries. So why was it such an issue? The answer is that aloneness did not allow Adam to demonstrate a living picture of a core component of God’s character. Aloneness could not demonstrate the love upon which all of God’s creation, especially Adam, was predicated. And a world without that love would soon devolve into the chaotic opposite of everything God designed Eden to be. So, to counteract Adam’s intolerable aloneness, God made him a partner. 

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:21–22 NKJV)

…Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 NKJV)

God could have dug up more dirt and made Eve just like He made Adam, but that’s not what He had in mind. This new creature was like Adam, but distinctly different from him. She was made of the same material and represented an extension of the same origin, but composed in ways that were unmistakably different. They each had their own individual identities and characteristics and remarkably distinctive bodies, but in spite of all these differences, God declared that they were to be considered as one flesh. 

Changing Perspectives and Pronouns ~
Our partnerships affect how we view life and that affects how we approach our various roles as we live them. When people commit to partnerships like a marriage, for instance, “I, me, and mine,” give way to “We, us, and ours.” What happens to one affects both. Wounds and losses endured by one cause pain to both. Victories won by either win laurels for the heads of both. Each can sing the other’s song, and both can dance to the tune of the other’s joy. And any new life their love might produce is inextricably connected to both. 

So, our Labor Day lesson for 2024 teaches us two things that affect our approach to work and so much more. One is that aloneness is not good. The other is that partnerships are powerful things. We learn that partnerships designed and directed by the God who invented them can turn a not good situation into paradise. For us, the most important example of that transformation is the power of a commitment to Jesus Christ. Partnership with Him not only connects us to Him and makes us part of the work He does and recipients of the blessings it brings, it also connects Him to us and involves Him and His name in the work we do and the life we live. But it does even more than that. It makes us one with His Church and connects us to everyone else who shares that same partnership with Him. Paul made that clear in comparing the one flesh partnership in marriage with the partnership between Jesus and His followers:

For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:30–32 NKJV)

And in his epistle to the Romans, he added this analogy: 

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. (Romans 12:4–5 NKJV)

As we celebrate Labor Day and honor our laborers, whether current or past, let’s remember that partnering with Jesus can make our work mean more than we think. Committing our work and our life to Him makes us part of the most important workforce on the planet! We’re joined with others who aren’t just working for Him. We’re working with Him, and He is actively working with us. Together we can push back against the lies that destroy relationships by promoting individualism and fostering division, isolation, and aloneness, which are some of Satan’s primary strategies. Love, as God designed it, dies there, and the partnerships that depend on it can’t live in a world where aloneness rules. So remember that in Jesus Christ, we’re part of one another, and our work means so much more than we think.

~  HAPPY LABOR DAY 2024, EVERYONE  ~

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • Adam was the flawless image of God with no defects at any level. It wasn’t a defect in Adam that prompted God’s negative response. It was his aloneness. Adam’s aloneness wasn’t just a less-than-optimum situation. To God, it was intolerable. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  

  • Aloneness didn’t allow Adam to demonstrate a living picture of a core component of God’s character or the love upon which all His creation was predicated. A world without that would devolve into the chaotic opposite of all God designed Eden to be. @GallaghersPen  (Click here to Tweet) 

  • What happens to one affects both. Victories won by either win laurels for the heads of both. Each sings the other’s song. Both dance to the tune of the other’s joy. And any new life their love might produce is inextricably connected to both. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

  • Partnership w/Him not only connects us to Him and makes us part of the work He does and recipients of the blessings it brings, it also connects God to us and involves Him and His name in the work we do and the life we live. But it does more than that. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  

  • We’re working with and for God. He is actively working with us. Together we can push back against the lies that destroy relationships by promoting individualism and fostering division, isolation and aloneness – some of Satan’s ‘primary’ strategies. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 

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