ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH
(The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod)
Alma, Kansas
A family united by faith in Christ gathering around God's Word and Sacraments.
To reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
In This Month's
St. John Witness
SEPTEMBER WITNESS
Pastor's Message
“Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much,
but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.” Ecclesiastes 5:12
Employees in a Detroit business office found the following important notice on the bulletin board:
“The management regrets that it has come to their attention that workers dying on the job are failing to fall down.
This practice must stop, as it becomes impossible to distinguish between death and the natural movement of our
workers. Any employee found dead in an upright position will be dropped from the payroll.”
Work is a gift from God. In our sinful world, however, you may rightly exclaim: “Work is a four-letter word.” Truly, work is not always pleasant, yet work is a normal part of life. It begins with chores around home, and continues through homework, more chores, odd jobs, manual labor, or perhaps a career. Work is to be a blessing, so that we use the gifts of God to serve the purposes of God. You may have heard it said: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” and it is true. Must evil is done because the good is not being done, and other vices replace godly effort.
God intends for us to lead productive lives. We have responsibilities to Him, to our family, to our neighbor, to our country, and to our world. We have things to do in life, which are to be done to please God. “Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening,” Psalm 104:23 tells us. There should be a designated time to work. But even when we do all that we ought, we might not find true satisfaction, because satisfaction is a gift from God Himself. Psalm 127:1 teaches: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Without God’s blessing, our labors are futile.
God directs us to honor Him in our labor, and by our labor. So we take care of others, even as we also provide for our family. He says “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food,” teaching us trust in Him is more important than work. When we are overwhelmed, He promises “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Praying for God's guidance!
Pastor Grimm
