2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 (NRSV)
Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 on biblegateway.com
Verse 6Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. Verse 7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, Verse 8and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. Verse 9This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. Verse 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. Verse 11For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Verse 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Verse 13Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
Devotion
I used to run in Ironman distance triathlons — you know, the really long ones like you see on television. I got into them in part because of my sister, and also because I thought I needed to get into better shape. It was a lot of work. I learned that I needed to surround myself with people who would keep me accountable to do the work — and who would even do some of it with me — because it would have been so much easier to shrug it off.
I found that when I did the work, even if it was just a little every day, it became a way of life and a part of who I was. In turn, I could inspire others by my example to do better and be better. Like the apostle Paul, we can inspire others by our lifestyle as we follow in the footsteps of Christ — and then maybe they too will come to believe in the new life that they have already been given!
Prayer
God, grant us the courage to live tirelessly in and by the light of Christ. Amen.