³ We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:3 CSB)

What, in your mind, is the difference between work and labor?

I had to really think about this today as I read this scripture and prepared for my work day. Our days can be full of work. It is all of the mundane task that make up the work day, but labor is a bit of a different animal.

We see labor as, well more laborious. It is associated with striving toward a goal. Yes, we labor for our careers but we may labor for a great many other things as well. We are joint labors striving toward ever building the Kingdom through growing the body of Christ. Our labors here are more than mere work, just like our labor toward a career is greater than the work we do. So too is our labor for our families greater than simply providing for them, it is a supreme labor of love.

Labor should be associated with a greater goal or calling. It can be associated with a vocation or an occupation. The work we do each day folds into our greater labor toward that greater goal. If we are not working toward a greater goal then it could be our work is in vein. It could also be why we might feel an emptiness in what we are doing.

So we need to ask ourselves what we labor for exactly. If we cannot define this then maybe it is time for a change or an adjustment. And realize, that laboring simply for our own pleasures is never a very sustainable goal.