Friday Thought -- December 9, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.  For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.  We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it.  On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.  We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule:  ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat.’” (2 Thessalonians 3:6-10)

“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”  That’s not a biblical statement, but it is a biblical idea.  When your mother taught you that philosophy she was on the right track.  Idleness just leads to trouble.  And it’s not just your own idleness that leads to trouble, when you surround yourself with idle people they are likely to lead you down a path that is not good for you to walk.  Paul isn’t even talking about people of the world, he’s talking about fellow Christians.  It’s idle “brothers” whose company is to be avoided.  Christians who are content to do nothing for themselves or for the Kingdom are living in contradiction to God’s work in their lives.

Paul, and those on his team, provided a positive example to follow.  They did their best to take care of their own needs, not wanting to be a burden to others.  They gave themselves wholeheartedly to the work God had called them to do.  There was nothing lazy about them, they were known for their long and hard work.  They were a model for the Thessalonians to follow -- and a model that we should follow, too.  God has called His children to join Him in the work of His Kingdom.  He has even prepared works for every believer to do (see Ephesians 2:10).

Of course, there is a balance that is appropriate in life.  There is a time to “be still” and a time to be active.  When the pendulum swings toward either extreme we are not listening to or following the voice of God in our hearts.

His, by Grace,

Steve