Labor Day, Every Day

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest..
Hebrews 4:11, KJV

How fitting to come back from a blogging “vaca” on Labor Day. It’s good to be back at the keyboard!  

I’ve always found the concept of Labor Day, interesting.  The idea of taking a day off from labor to celebrate how hard we work.  There’s certainly nothing wrong with labor.  As the daughter of immigrants, I’m no stranger to work, especially hard work.  Though there is something to be said for work that is satisfying, as opposed to working yourself to death at something you don’t like, isn’t rewarding, or plain stresses you out.

This verse intrigues me, because the Lord is talking about labor, through the Apostle Paul, but in a whole different light.  He’s talking about a labor that works at resting.  A working to enter a state of rest.  Not like taking a holiday, to rest one day from labor.  

The real work is to BE at rest.  

Well, what rest?  Like sitting down, rest?  Can’t be, though there is a place for that.  So then we have to look at what He means by labor.  Is he talking about manual labor or busyness?

No, it seems Jesus is speaking generally about effort.  If we’re going to exert effort, it should be to live at rest. So we’re back to asking what is this rest?  Based on the context, He’s not talking about reclining so it must be the rest He spoke about in Matthew 11.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28, KJV

So it’s a rest Jesus gives and it’s the opposite of stressful effort.  This is the rest we should labor towards?  Hmmm