If You Don’t Work, You Don’t Eat

SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 4-5; 2 Chr. 2; Ps. 101; 2 Th. 3

2 Thessalonians 3: 10-13
Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.

OBSERVATIONS: “The pastor is important, not because he is wiser or better than are other men, but because he is so placed that he may be able to draw out and direct the powers of other men. All of his effectiveness is in the changed lives of other persons. Though there are somestructures to guide him, the chief element is his own vision of himself and what his work might be.” — Elton Trueblood

Worse than not doing your job is keeping someone else from doing theirs. And the only thing worse than that is keeping someone from their work is to do so and then freeze up and not do anything yourself.

APPLICATION: Joey, when you take on too much, you don’t get anything done. Perhaps you could spend more time helping people to be effective than enabling their procrastination and rationalization by trying to do it all yourself. When that happens, you end up frozen with indecision. Equip and enable their passions and gifts, Joey.

PRAYER: Lord, let me be a catalyst. Help me to be a helper. Teach me how to equip your saints that they might equip more saints. I know I am not all that you need. I also know that you are more than sufficient. Let me be what you need me to be. In Christ, Amen.