This little power-packed letter spends a lot of time talking about the end times and bringing encouragement for them. I don't know how much you thought about the end of the world today, but remember that persecution and injustice tend to bring that longing into the forefront pretty quickly. Be encouraged: the Lord Jesus will kill the lawless one with the breath of His mouth and bring him to nothing by the appearance of His coming (2.8). Bottom line? Jesus wins. Amen.
But some, in the name of waiting on the Lord Jesus to return, stayed idle and lived off others. Call them moochers. Call them lazy. But whatever you do, call them sinful.
Paul didn't tolerate the over-spiritualized yet underworked. Sitting around and waiting for Jesus to return while living off the hard work of others is sin. It still happens today in one way or another.
So the Holy Spirit, through Paul, drops the hammer: if you are not willing to work, you shouldn't eat.
It's not that you can't find work and need a hand. It's not that you're unable to work because of a physical ailment or situation. It's the person who's lazy. Therein lies both compassion and responsibility. Seems like a pretty good balance to me.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
No comments:
Post a Comment