Labor Day 2023

On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (09/04/23), Hank wishes all of you a happy Labor Day and goes into detail on the Labor Day holiday that God gave us long before the government did—our Sabbath Day rest. Just as we are resting today on Labor Day, the Lord commands us to rest on the Sabbath each week. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do” (Deut. 5:13-14 NIV). So our Labor Day holiday according to God is our Sabbath Day rest, which begs the question: why do Christians rest from their labor on the first day of the week (Sunday), rather than the last day of the week (Saturday)? The answer, says Hank, is encapsulated in just one word—resurrection. Hank also discusses something else that comes to his mind when he thinks about the word labor, and that is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, that each person is going to be rewarded according to their own labor. In other words, what we do now in this life counts for all eternity. Hank uses the illustration of his invitation to play Cypress Point, which he claims to be the most spectacular golf course on Earth. For months he beat his body into submission while dreaming of the day he would experience walking its fairways. Without his strenuous preparations, he would have still experienced the same breathtaking views, however, all his hard work added immeasurably to his experience. That is what heaven will be like. As phenomenal as Cypress Point is, it pales by comparison to what paradise restored will be. Hank spent one day at a golf haven; he will spend an eternity in God’s heaven. It stands to reason, therefore, that he would put a lot more labor into preparing for an eternity in heaven with God than he did for playing eighteen holes of golf.