Keep On Keeping On!!!
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
"The faithful Christians at Thessalonica were discouraged by the conduct of the careless saints who refused to work. 'If they don't have to work, why should we?' was their argument; and Paul nipped it in the bud. Sin in the life of a believer always affects the rest of the church. As members of His body, we belong to each other, and we affect each other. The bad example of a few saints can destroy the devotion, and hinder the service of the rest of the church." (Wiersbe)
Paul even names the sins of which they were guilty such as disorderliness and being busybodies. (However, these busybodies were not busy workers!) Even the Romans understood this concept, for they had a saying: "By doing nothing, men learn to do evil." Just as idleness was a danger then, it is today. Instead of being idle which can lead to being a busybody (i.e., noisily running around), we should "work quietly...and eat our own bread."
Where does that leave us? Well, unfortunately much of Christianity sees serving the Lord as a passive commitment. However, true service requires action, and action is something desperately missing among many Christians. I'm not talking about a "keeping the Law" type service, but a willingness to serve out of love and adoration. Does Christ deserve less than our very best? If the answer is "no," then why is it so hard for EBC to find enough people who are committed to serving the Lord? Why is it so hard to find enough teachers, workers, and leaders, who will fulfill their obligations "day-in, and day-out"? Are we just tired? Are we calloused? Are we committed?
Serving the Lord is a good thing, and it is something that we should never quit doing. Yet, we must remember that serving the Lord takes action, and action will exhibit our love for God to others.
P.S. I do appreciate all of you who are so faithful, yet isn't it true that God deserves more than we, including me, really give?
(Taken from EBC's monthly newsletter.)
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
"The faithful Christians at Thessalonica were discouraged by the conduct of the careless saints who refused to work. 'If they don't have to work, why should we?' was their argument; and Paul nipped it in the bud. Sin in the life of a believer always affects the rest of the church. As members of His body, we belong to each other, and we affect each other. The bad example of a few saints can destroy the devotion, and hinder the service of the rest of the church." (Wiersbe)
Paul even names the sins of which they were guilty such as disorderliness and being busybodies. (However, these busybodies were not busy workers!) Even the Romans understood this concept, for they had a saying: "By doing nothing, men learn to do evil." Just as idleness was a danger then, it is today. Instead of being idle which can lead to being a busybody (i.e., noisily running around), we should "work quietly...and eat our own bread."
Where does that leave us? Well, unfortunately much of Christianity sees serving the Lord as a passive commitment. However, true service requires action, and action is something desperately missing among many Christians. I'm not talking about a "keeping the Law" type service, but a willingness to serve out of love and adoration. Does Christ deserve less than our very best? If the answer is "no," then why is it so hard for EBC to find enough people who are committed to serving the Lord? Why is it so hard to find enough teachers, workers, and leaders, who will fulfill their obligations "day-in, and day-out"? Are we just tired? Are we calloused? Are we committed?
Serving the Lord is a good thing, and it is something that we should never quit doing. Yet, we must remember that serving the Lord takes action, and action will exhibit our love for God to others.
P.S. I do appreciate all of you who are so faithful, yet isn't it true that God deserves more than we, including me, really give?
(Taken from EBC's monthly newsletter.)
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