The DIVE Series: Caleb Gordon, “Fruits of My Labor”

Hello and welcome to the eleventh installment of The DIVE Series*. I am your host, DJ Expander. Thank you for tuning in! I really enjoy creating these installments and I hope you enjoy this one.

Earlier this month, I dropped an installment about Red Tip’s single Nino Brown.

I recently found a new single by Caleb Gordon that came out just a day after my previous article (January 6th) called Fruits of My Labor. I enjoyed the song so much that I decided to create an installment about the single. Let’s DIVE in!

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” ‭‭- John 6:27

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About the Single

Caleb Gordon‘s single, Fruits of My Labor, was released on January 6th, 2023. The single is a chill yet relatively hype song. I will do my best to cover this single’s clear and potential meanings.

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Interpretation of the Single (Part 1)

As with the majority of Caleb’s songs, he starts off by saying:

“Ayy, 2000, E-S-T. O-C-O-E-E.”

Then, he continues with the rest of his Intro:

“They said, ‘If it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense’. They said my time’s wasted, if I ain’t chasing the bag. But pops told me, ‘Never chase nun’, only here to lead lost souls to the kingdom, that’s facts. I only focus on the kingdom and everything else that I need, I know it will attract. If I lose it all now, know He’ll bring it right back. I ain’t worried ’bout the cars, or the clothes, or the plaques. Even if I ball and count big stacks. I will never put that before you know I won’t get attached.“

Here, he’s talking about how it is extremely important for him to put God first over everything else (including money). He’s not worried about material things because he knows God will provide for him. This is proven in Philippians 4:19, which states, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Caleb references Matthew 6:33, which states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

He conveys that even if he obtains material riches here on Earth, he will still keep Jesus at the forefront of his thoughts, actions, and words. This is a very good mindset to have as a follower of Jesus. The love of money is the root of all evil. However, having money and material things to provide for yourself and others is alright.

Caleb continues with the following first verse*.

(*Note that the first and third verses are practically identical, so I will not be going over the third verse separately):

“Cause that will never last though. You wrapped Your arms around me likе a lasso. You went and painted the picturе, Picasso. Oops, Picasso, You made my heart grow. A lesson I learned from the seed is to start slow. Trust me you gon’ see the tree if you look close. Don’t you know havin’ faith is the substance to things that you don’t see. But trust me you ‘gon see the fruits of your labor.“

Here, he emphasizes how material things won’t last into eternity. He implies that Jesus loves him with an everlasting love.

He also speaks about how God made his heart grow, meaning he grew in wisdom and experience as a follower of Jesus. I want to point out that he also emphasizes the same message “you reap what you sow.”

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Interpretation of the Single (Part 2)

The Chorus continues the song as follows:

“Trust in the King and my focus on laser. Walkin’ in purpose, I’m blessed and I’m favored. I tried to go fall in love with the paper. ‘Til you showed me love that will never waver. No one can give me the food that you cater. Tried to move fast and regretted it later. ‘Long as I’m focused on You and Your truth. I know I’ll get the fruits of my labor.”

In this extremely important portion of the track, we see Caleb melodically rap about the Biblical principle of trusting and loving God.

He speaks on the fact that he acts with a purpose in Christ that lasts for eternity. He mentions that he previously almost fell in love with money but quickly realized that God’s love for us surpasses all understanding.

My favorite line of the track is, “No one can give me the food that you cater.” I love this line because it emphasizes that the spiritual nutrients God gives when you follow Jesus are exclusive to God. It also implies, as previously mentioned, that God’s love surpasses all understanding.

Verse 2 is different from verses 1 and 3 and is written as follows:

“They said, ‘If you ain’t stacking guap, then you basic’. They said my times wasted, if I ain’t chasing the cash. Pops said, ‘The first gon’ be last’. You got everything you need right up in the kingdom, that’s facts. I could teach you how to serve like that, even the King wants your love from the front to the back. It don’t matter what you might lack. From the homeless on streets to the ones who got L’s to the back. Never too great to give back, know it’s quick to forget when you love everything that you had.“

Caleb Gordon is likely expressing:

• How the world says that if you aren’t hustling for money alone, then you’re wasting time and basic (a negative term meaning “shallow”).
• His dad taught him that the first would be last and vice versa, as stated by Jesus in Matthew 19:30: “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” This means that all followers of Jesus will receive the same reward of eternal life when their lives on Earth are all said and done. Regardless of how long they’ve been believers.
• You cannot take any material riches from the physical world to Heaven. It is best to focus more on the things of God’s Kingdom.
• He speaks about how Jesus is accepting of everyone at the cross, no matter what people might lack. The grace of God saves people through their faith in Jesus.
• When you love the material things in the physical world, it is challenging to show Christ’s love by giving to those in need.

The chorus is performed twice and the song ends.

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Conclusion

This record has over 150,000 Spotify streams, making it the third most popular track on Spotify for Caleb Gordon as of this installment’s release. 

Based on what we have discussed regarding the track, Caleb Gordon is primarily trying to emphasize that:

If you trust and love Jesus, and walk in the truth of God’s Word, your needs will be met through Christ according to His purpose. Therefore, you need not worry about this world’s material things but focus on the things of Heaven.

John 6:27 states, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him, God the Father has set his seal.” This is an excellent primary verse for the record.

Some context for this verse is the day before Jesus had fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. The people who came to Jesus in John 6 came to Him that day, Jesus accused them of coming for more physical food rather than spiritual nutrients. In short, these people set their focus on the things of the flesh (temporary/worldly focuses) rather than the things of the Spirit (eternal focuses).

Jesus is the Spiritual nutrient that everyone longs for!

Jesus says in verse 32 of John 6, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” Jesus is the bread of life. Without faith in God, and a relationship with Jesus, there is no eternal life. So there is no need to worry about the fruits of your labor as a follower of Jesus. God provides for all who are called according to His purpose.

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About The DIVE Series*

In this series, I DIVE into the precise and potential meanings of Christian Hip Hop singles, albums, and EPs.

In Special Edition installments of the series, I interview the artist(s) involved to get an exact idea of the true meaning of their art.

Thanks for checking out today’s edition of FiveTwenty Collective’s DIVE series! I drop a new installment of this series on the 5th and 20th of every month (except on Sundays).

God Bless,

DJ Expander

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**Listen to the full Fruits of My Labor single at the end of the article!**

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Want more content from The DIVE Series? Check out the previous article now!