“Bad News for the Idle”

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

I have to confess that there are days when I would just as soon remain in bed instead of getting up to face the Lord and all that He has waiting for me. It’s not that I’m lazy, though – I just like to relax after a hard night of sleeping!
Have you ever had those days? When you would rather surrender to the call of the world instead of the one that comes from the Lord? When Israel finally arrived in the Promised Land, after the people who were already living there had been subdued, after they had their farms and vineyards and villages and cities established, the people decided that they wanted to trade in their Judges for a king, and their simple, but mobile tabernacle for a glorious and permanent temple, and then they expected to settle down for a much quieter existence. And in the process, they also traded their trust in God for more worldly pleasures.

Joseph McLelland, in his book “The Clown and the Crocodile”, writes:
“In many ways, if we depend upon our roots to define us, we create a rigid little outline of what our relationship to God is. We take on the attitudes, and accept the priorities of the communities in which we live. But what we gain in physical comforts we lose in spiritual exercise: It is far easier to grow lazy and complacent when we are rooted in a place.
Once you settle down on your own land, turn the humble tabernacle into a great temple, and exchange nomadic customs for agricultural and urban ways, it seems peculiar to pattern your life after a pilgrimage. Since you are not really going anywhere, you begin to think that God stays put, too. “
-Joseph C. McLelland, The Clown and the Crocodile (Richmond, Va.: John Knox Press, 1970), 56.

But God never stays put! He is never still! He is never complacent! He is constantly working in and through our lives – creating and recreating, renewing and refreshing, changing and redirecting. But He wouldn’t have to be recreating and refreshing and redirecting us if we would but stay on track with His leading. But unfortunately, human nature isn’t always attuned to the Spirit – we like to have our own way from time to time!

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-8

Now at first glance, it would seem that the people of the first century were not all that different from the people of today. Some were, and are, industrious, while others would, seemingly, prefer to let others provide for their every need. But before we begin to condemn the actions of too large a population, there are many who would like to be gainfully employed, but due to economic or other circumstances, are unable to find a job. That was true in Paul’s time, and it is true today.
So I would like to redefine the word “idle”. Even though Paul’s writing seems to be calling the people to be more active in earning their way in the world, I would like to offer once again the thought that scripture is always oriented toward inspiring us to be more in line with the things of God. So I believe that he is using an earthly analogy to tell us that we need to be more aware of what our faithful service is to be about - that “idle” isn’t so much about our secular employment as it is about our spiritual employment. And you are probably wondering just what spiritual employment is all about!

It means that no matter how much or how little we have, are we faithful stewards in whatever the Lord gives us? I am not implying that unless you give up all earthly employment, and give all of your time to the church, that you are a spiritual slacker! That is not my intent! I am saying, though, that if you think that an hour a week in worship is sufficient to show the Lord how much you appreciate Him, you are sadly mistaken! Paul writes that he and his entourage were busy “night and day, laboring and toiling so that [they] would not be a burden to any [one]” and that they never ate anything that they didn’t pay for.
- Trust me – they slept at times!
- Trust me – they preached and ministered to the people at all times!
They may have worked at a trade to partially defray the costs of their ministry, but people in the church were always helping them with lodging and other sustenance. But Paul and Silas and Timothy were busy all the time, and their time was used to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people in as many places as possible! And they were not in the habit of leaving any town with a full purse of money in their pocket!

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:9-12

Let’s continue with the theme that idleness and unemployment is in regards to faith and not necessarily in a worldly context. Vs. 10 – “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” Think of this in a new way – “If a person will not give back to the Lord, should he continue to be blessed?” God expects so very little from us – He only asks that we show Him our gratitude by following His commandments. Love God with your entire being.
- Love others as if they were you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. Make a friend, be a friend, bring your friend to Christ. Live the Great Commission
Now I know that these are not the specific commandments that we find in scripture, but if we truly try to do these few things, we, too, will be busy “night and day”! Paul wants us to have a true vision of what a life in Christ is really all about!

I worked at Link as a final inspector on the flight simulators for a year after I got out of the Navy, and one of the guys I worked with – Nick - was a quite a character. We had had a slack period one week, and when we caught up with the installations, we would sit down and visit until someone threw a job into our mail slot, and then we were back to work. One morning, a manager came in early, and saw us sitting around, and the next night there was an edict that if we weren’t busy, we should, at least, look busy. Nick picked up the gauntlet, and for the next 8 hours, he was extremely busy. He was constantly on the go, shuffling papers here and there, peering into cabinet after cabinet and trainer after trainer. At the end of the night, he turned to the rest of us, and confessed, almost sheepishly, that even though he had looked busy all night, he hadn’t inspected or cleared a single job, and that he was so tired that he would never do it again!

Paul’s intention was never that we should become exhausted in our Christian service, he never wanted us to suffer from burn out! But he does believe that the Lord wants us to do what is right, in the eyes of God of course, and not in ours. He wants us to be alive in His plan and to be lively in the goals that He sets. And His plan will never tire us out – and in all truth, it will invigorate us.

Anthony Robbins is a self help author and lecturer. He writes “People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals; that is, goals that do not inspire them.”
—Anthony Robbins.

Do you felt inspired in your walk with Jesus? Or do you fit the model that Paul offers in verse 11 – “We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies.” Busybodies are just that – busy in body, busy in the things of earth, but idle in the things of God.

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:13-15

“Never tire of doing what is right.”
- When we hear of a brother or sister who is struggling in their faith, may we never tire of doing what is right.
- When we know of a homeless person who is shivering in the cold, and hungry for anything to eat, may we never tire of doing what is right.
- When we sense that the Lord is calling us to reach out to a neighbor who is suffering due to a great loss in their life, may we never tire of doing what is right.
- When our friend, or even more importantly our child, is caught up in the throes of an addiction or deeply immersed in a sinful existence, may we never, EVER tire of doing what is right.

And what is right? In 1896, Charles Sheldon published a book by the title “In His Steps”. It is about the people in an urban church who committed, for one year, to always ask one question before making any decision, either professionally or personally – and the question was “What Would Jesus Do?” And it was not easy for any of them. Lucrative business careers became only a memory, relationships suffered and fell apart, a promising singing career was changed from a well paying secular one to one of tent revival meetings, the personal fortune that one person had was all given away. And yet, the movement gained momentum and grew and all who participated were blessed.
The phrase that was popularized in the book has become even more popular today. We see WWJD wrist bands and tee shirts and all kinds of products emblazoned with the logo. But I believe that it has all become too commercialized and it may even have become trite. After all, who among us can actually do the things that Jesus did?
And yet the concept has incredible merit. But I think that the question should be updated. I might suggest that we should be asking “What does Jesus want me to do?” It may not be as grand as the things that we read about in the gospels or the epistles. It may not be seen by others as all that important. But who are we trying to please anyway – the “good” people of society, or the good Lord who is always walking with us and blessing us?

An idle faith is no faith. A faith that is simply busy is no faith. But an active faith that is constantly responding to the call of Christ is faith, and it is what is right. Without an honest faith, we lose the right to sit with Christ at His banquet table, but when we walk in the” right” of God, we will feast on the Bread of Life and will be refreshed with His Living Water.
May we never, ever, EVER tire of doing what is right.