In Our Hands!

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immoveable, always excelling in the work of the Lord because you know that in the work of the Lord, your labor is not in vain. Corinthians 15:58

Today we celebrate Labor Day which, besides being a holiday, is the unofficial kick off to the college football season. The holiday was begun in the late nineteenth century when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well being.

American labor has raised the natiion’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known. When I think of all those among us who labor every day to bring us closer to the realization of traditional ideals of economic progress, it is certainly worthy of a day of celebration.

There are so many whose hands are a part of all this! The “greatest generation” who served in WWII and were products of the Great Depression, “Baby Boomers”, “Generation Xers”, “Millennials”, “Generation Z”, and on down the line have benefited from the hands of those who worked and came before them.

It matters how we use what is in our hands to preserve this country and its ideals. I read somewhere of just how much our hands can matter in this world. The piece related how different hands can enhance the worth of ordinary objects. For example, in our hands, a basketball is worth about fifteen dollars, but give to LeBron James and it’s worth millions. In our hands a football holds little value, but put it in Peyton Manning’s hand and the worth increases exponentially. In our hands, a golf club can be worth little, but Tiger Woods can change the worth. copied

Jesus taught His disciples to use their hands to be distributors of His blessings and “first responders” to those in need. In the miracle of feeding the five thousand, the miracle of multiplication did not take place when the food left Christ’s hands, but rather when it left the disciple’s hands. Christ blessed the five loaves and two fish, gave it to them, and they set out to do what seemed ridiculous; feeding a multitude with a boy’s lunch!! As they watched what was in their hands multiply to feed the five thousand, they experienced the miraculous!

This parable proves that when the Lord blesses what is in our hands we will succeed despite the challenges and obstacles that confront us. Sometimes, we don’t recognize the gift that is in our hands or we even doubt its worth. We might conclude that we don’t have the right thing or enough of it in our hands to do what it takes, but we do.

God has deposited different gifts in our hands that He wants us to recognize, nurture, and use for His glory. When we take the time to develop that underdeveloped gift we have been running around carrying, we will be amazed at the potential there.

The miracle began when a boy found an unmet need and decided, “Hey, these people are hungry and need to be fed.” That is also when the disciples discovered what Jesus could do with what they held in their hands. It might have looked hopelessly inadequate, but not with God.

On this Labor Day, we need to remember that our labor is not in vain. When we use our hands to do the work of the Lord for His purposes, the work is never in vain. Our labor no matter what it might be, is not meaningless or worthless because God gives it meaning and worth.

God has given us each something in our hand that others need. It is our job to use what He has put in our hands.