He begins, "Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us." (2 Thessalonians 3:6, ESV)
There are reasons for his warning. For one, no person should be lazy when it comes to the Lord's work. However, the devil is also more able to tempt people when they are not staying productive within the Kingdom of God. So, idle hands can be the way the devil uses them. In addition, God does not want any person to be a burden on any one person. We all need to be responsible for our individual selves. God does not want any person to be a stumbling block for anyone else, nor does he want any person to be a hindrance to the true Gospel. (See Isaiah 53; John 19; Romans 14:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10)
Unfortunately, there are members within the body of Christ today who are too idle. Consequently, the enemy uses them. They gossip, meddle, and more because they are not truly being productive. Therefore, they are busy bodies in other people's lives.
The Apostle Paul heard about this same issue within the church at Thessalonica.
"For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies." (2 Thessalonians 3:11, ESV)
He knew and understood the reason there were some people who were being busy bodies. At the same time, he encouraged the members of the church.
"Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living." (2 Thessalonians 3:12, ESV)
He goes on to say, "As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." (2 Thessalonians 3:13-15, ESV)
And, in the words of Will Smith...
[Source: YouTube]
Copyright 2018 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment