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Laboring for the Lord

 

Tomorrow is Labor Day, a holiday that reminds us of the dignity of work and the contributions of workers in every field of life. For many, it’s a day of rest, marking the end of summer and the beginning of a new season. But as Christians, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on what Scripture says about labor—not just the work of our hands, but the work of our hearts and lives in service to God.

 

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 9:37–38:

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Our world is full of need—spiritual, physical, and emotional. The work of sharing Christ’s love is never finished, and Jesus calls us to be part of that labor. Yet this is not a burdensome task. It is a holy calling, an invitation to sow seeds of kindness, compassion, and truth in a world desperate for hope.

 

At the same time, John 6:27 reminds us:

“Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life…”

We all know the demands of daily work: paychecks, deadlines, chores, and responsibilities. These are important, but they are not the whole picture. Jesus calls us to a deeper labor—the kind that nourishes the soul and points us toward eternity. When we labor for love, justice, and mercy, we invest in what can never fade.

 

The Apostle Paul encourages perseverance in 1 Corinthians 15:58:

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Even when our work feels unnoticed, exhausting, or unfruitful, God sees it. Every act of service, every word of encouragement, every moment we choose faithfulness over despair—it all matters in the kingdom of God.

 

And our work isn’t just about ourselves. Paul says in Ephesians 4:28:

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”

Work provides, but it also allows us to give. Honest labor is not just about earning a living—it’s about living generously. Our labor becomes an expression of love when it blesses others.

 

That’s why Paul instructs in Colossians 3:23:

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

Work takes on new meaning when we do it for God. Whether it’s sweeping a floor, teaching a class, caring for children, or advocating for justice, when we do it “unto the Lord,” our daily labor becomes an act of worship.

 

Paul offers a warning in 2 Thessalonians 3:10–12:

“If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat… Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 

Labor is not only a calling but also a responsibility. God designed work as part of the goodness of creation—not as punishment but as purpose. In working, we live out both dignity and discipline.

 

And finally, Paul reminds Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:18:

“The laborer deserves his wages.”

Here lies an important truth: God values the worker. Just as employers should treat their workers with fairness, we must also remember that God honors every honest effort. No laborer goes unnoticed in His kingdom.

 

So, this Labor Day weekend, let us rest in gratitude for the work God has given us. Let us labor not only for earthly gain but also for eternal good. Let us find joy in doing all things as unto the Lord, steadfast and immovable, abounding always in His work.

 

Because in the Lord, our labor is never in vain.

Pic of the Day

 

Moment of Zen: College Football Season

College football season is here—time for touchdowns, tight pants, and plenty of eye candy.

Wrapping Up the Week

 

Friday is finally here—and it’s a holiday weekend, too. It’s been quite a week. Most of my time at work has been spent buried in emails: finding the right information to answer them, or carefully wording responses to delicate matters that really should have been handled by my boss. Still, I think it turned out to be a successful week overall.

I’ve got a few more emails to get through today, but the good news is that I’m working from home. Well, part of the day will be spent working from the mechanic’s while I get an oil change, but that still counts.

Once the workday is done, I’ve got three days ahead for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Here’s hoping it’s a restorative weekend for all of us.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, everyone!

Pic of the Day

Riding Out the Week

I’ve had some good days and some bad days lately with my back and leg pain. Monday wasn’t too bad, Tuesday was not so good, and yesterday turned out to be a pretty good day. The trouble is, my migraines seem to have struck a bargain with my body—if the back and leg aren’t bothering me, then the migraine will.

I’m about two weeks out from another round of Botox treatment, so the timing of these flare-ups is not entirely surprising. Monday began with a migraine that thankfully lifted by Tuesday, only to come back again yesterday. Yesterday’s was minor (if there is such a thing), but around midnight it flared up again and hasn’t eased this morning.

Still, I’m determined not to call in sick. I have things that need doing, emails to send, and hopefully I can get through them quickly. If the migraine doesn’t ease, today may turn into a half-day. The good news is that I’ll be working from home tomorrow, which should make it easier to take things at a slower pace if I need to. And after that comes a three-day weekend—something I’m definitely looking forward to.

Here’s hoping a little rest, a quieter schedule, and some time away from the grind will bring more good days than bad in the week ahead.

And of course, no week is complete without the Isabella Pic of the Week—Her Majesty all curled up in a soft gray blanket, perfectly demonstrating how to do rest and relaxation the right way.

Pic of the Day

Naked to Eternity: Male Bodies in Ancient Egyptian Art

Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep from the 5th Dynasty tomb at Saqqara 

When we step into a museum gallery of Egyptian art, our eyes are often drawn first to the monumental: gilded sarcophagi, stone statues of gods and pharaohs, and painted papyri filled with hieroglyphs. Yet another thread runs quietly through these collections: the unclothed male body. Ancient Egyptian artists depicted nudity with striking frankness, and far from being taboo, it carried layered meanings about status, labor, youth, purity, and renewal.

Mastaba (tomb) of Ti at Saqqara (c. 2400 BCE)

Unlike the Greeks, who later celebrated the nude as the pinnacle of beauty and heroism, the Egyptians approached nudity as a visual code. In Old Kingdom tombs, men engaged in physical work—farmers, boatmen, fishermen—are often shown nude or in the simplest of belts. The tomb of Ti at Saqqara (c. 2400 BCE) shows such figures, their lean musculature emphasizing vitality and their role in sustaining society. In contrast, Ti himself appears clothed in fine linen, his dress underscoring elite distinction.

Illustration of the Circumcision Ceremony in the Tomb of Ankhmahor

One particularly rare and fascinating relief from Saqqara, dating between 2350–2000 BCE, shows a circumcision ceremony in the tomb of Ankhmahor. Here, nude male figures are shown undergoing and performing the ritual—one of the few surviving artistic records of the practice in ancient Egypt. The nudity underscores both the ritual’s intimacy and its role in marking transition into maturity.

Wooden figure of a nude man. Egypt, Late Old Kingdom, 2345-2160 BC

Sculpture also embraced this frankness. A striking wood and plaster figure from the Teti pyramid cemetery at Saqqara depicts a naked man, his body rendered with a simple, direct realism. Nudity here communicates not shame, but the humanity and vitality of the subject.

A bas-relief on the wall leading to the suite of Mereruka’s son Meryteti shows nude male figures. The side-lock braids was a hairstyle worn by youths

Children, meanwhile, were almost always represented nude, often with the distinctive side lock of hair. In the tomb of Mereruka, on a wall leading to the suite of his son Meryteti, reliefs show nude boys with this hairstyle—a clear marker of youth. Such depictions reinforced the cultural code that nudity signified a stage of life, unencumbered until maturity called for clothing and social role.

“The Sole Companion Ha’a”

Even tomb owners themselves were not always portrayed clothed. For a brief period in the late Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period, there emerged a fashion of depicting the deceased nude before Osiris, lord of the underworld. These figures symbolized renewal and rebirth. A powerful example is the statue of the “sole companion Ha’a,” now at the Walters Art Museum, which shows the tomb owner nude in a stance of rejuvenation. His unclothed body is not vulnerable but potent—a symbol of life reborn.

Priests could also be represented nude in scenes of purification, where absence of clothing symbolized ritual purity. Nudity here functioned as a spiritual statement, aligning the physical with the sacred.

Statues of Menkaure (Mycerinus) with Hathor and Nome deities (c. 2490 BCE)

Even the kings, though usually shown in elaborate regalia, sometimes reveal the ideals of the nude body beneath. The famous triads of Menkaure (Mycerinus) from Giza (c. 2490 BCE) clothe the pharaoh in a kilt, yet the carving clings so closely that the idealized musculature beneath is practically a nude form.

It is worth remembering that erotic art did exist in Egypt—the Turin Erotic Papyrus (New Kingdom, c. 1150 BCE) leaves little doubt about the Egyptians’ playful side—but within tomb and temple contexts, nudity was symbolic rather than sensational. It marked youth, labor, ritual purity, or eternal renewal.

Men harvesting papyrus reeds in the tomb of Nefer at Saqqara

For us today, the honesty of these depictions can feel startling. To stand before the Ankhmahor relief in Saqqara, or to study the Walters’ statue of Ha’a, is to be reminded that the ancient Egyptians saw nudity not as scandalous, but as part of the visual language of life, death, and rebirth. For queer viewers especially, there’s something poignant here: the male body, shown frankly across centuries, becomes not just a record of status or ritual, but a reminder of continuity in human fascination with form, vitality, and beauty.

Where to See These Works Today
If you’d like to connect these ideas with objects you can actually view, here are a few key examples:

• The Tomb of Ankhmahor, Saqqara (2350–2000 BCE) – Relief of a circumcision scene (on-site in Egypt, reproductions in Cairo Museum).
• Wood and Plaster Nude Figure from the Teti Pyramid Cemetery, Saqqara – Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
• “The Sole Companion Ha’a” (late Old Kingdom / First Intermediate Period) – Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
• Reliefs from the Tomb of Mereruka, Saqqara – On-site in Egypt, with reproductions in major collections like the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Statues of Menkaure (Mycerinus) with Hathor and Nome deities (c. 2490 BCE) – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
• Turin Erotic Papyrus (c. 1150 BCE) – Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy.

Pic of the Day