Work to Eat

Day 288: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18

“Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: Whoever does not work should not eat either." - 2 Thessalonians 3:10 NASB

”Labour is the law of God; idleness is the parent of many crimes and is productive of misery.” - H.D.M. Spence

Much is said in the local church (and in the New Testament) about not relying on our own working but on the working of God. This is true for our salvation. Look no further than Galatians 2:20.

Yet here we see that the Thessalonian church had a rampant problem of idleness. The economy at this time was to the point where those with a skill or trade were forced to become day laborers to make ends meet. It is likely that some were free-loading off others in the church to avoid common, hard work. We saw in 1-2 Corinthians this was not something Paul avoided. He often spent time as a common tent-making day laborer (see Acts 18:3).

This may lead us to this question: "What work would we be unwilling to do to ensure that we, and our families, will be provided for?"

Any kind of work will take a great amount of humility and grit to carry it out consistently, even if we are doing something that we love. May we, as Christians, be known as the hardest-working people around. May we be known for our tenacity, honesty, and reliability.

May what was said about Daniel be said of us:  “He was faithful, responsible, and completely trustworthy.” - Daniel 6:4 NLT