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6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” 11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-16 NIV)
The Church, like any other business or organization has financial needs and some churches approach their fundraising in different ways, too. Some churches have visible items on their church grounds that give themselves away, much like volunteer fire departments in these parts that have huge barbecue pits and host a big once-a-year event of selling plates with BBQ chicken, and all the trimmings. Some churches have a big BBQ fundraiser with borrowed BBQ pits. And if that event requires an overnight shift not every member will spend the night starting, tending and keeping the fire going. Not everyone wants to get their hands on the raw chicken and place it on the grill for it to cook. Remember the "Little Red Hen," and her story to plant, grow and harvest wheat with which to make bread? She asked for volunteers at key points and no one volunteered to help until the bread was ready and all were ready to eat? Yep, from a church! Nah, just kidding. It was written in 1873 by Mary Mapes Dodge and serves a purpose to get motivated to help out in whatever task a group or organization needs to get going. The point is work, fairness, and reward.
The Apostle Paul encountered the same thing in, guess where, the church and I suspect all churches that he helped start or encourage on his mission—believers who have stopped working and become idle, apparently because they believe Christ's return is so imminent that working is pointless. Some have misinterpreted Paul's earlier teaching about Christ's coming and concluded they should quit their jobs and wait around for the Second Coming. But their "spiritual waiting" has devolved into lazy mooching off other believers and meddling in others' business. Paul's response is direct and uncompromising: "Keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us." This isn't about judging struggling believers or those unable to work due to genuine hardship—it's about confronting able-bodied people who choose idleness and then become busybodies, creating disruption in the community while living off others' generosity.
Paul holds himself up as an example: "We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to anyone." Paul had every right as an apostle to receive financial support from the churches he served—he taught this principle clearly in other letters. Yet in Thessalonica, he deliberately chose to work with his hands making tents, supporting himself so he could model the work ethic he was teaching. He worked night and day, not because he loved money or lacked faith, but to set an example. "We did this... in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate." Paul understood that the most powerful teaching happens through example. Words about the dignity of work ring hollow when spoken by someone who won't work themselves. Paul's credibility came from his willingness to practice what he preached, laboring alongside those he was teaching.
The principle Paul establishes is simple and stark: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." This isn't about those who can't work—the disabled, the elderly, children, or those facing genuine unemployment through no fault of their own. It's about those who are unwilling to work, who could contribute but choose not to. The problem isn't just economic—it's spiritual and relational. "We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies." Idle hands don't just cost the community resources; they create relational havoc. People who aren't productively occupied find destructive ways to fill their time—gossip, meddling, stirring up controversy, criticizing others' work while doing none themselves. Paul commands these idle believers: "settle down and earn the food they eat." Get to work. Stop being disruptive. Contribute to the community instead of draining it. Support yourself instead of depending on others' charity when you're perfectly capable of working.
Paul's final word is to the rest of the church: "And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good." This is crucial. When some people take advantage of generosity, when others abuse the community's kindness, the temptation is to become cynical and stop helping anyone. Paul says don't. Don't let the lazy few destroy your generous spirit. Don't let the busybodies make you suspicious of everyone who needs help. Keep doing good. Keep working hard. Keep being generous. Maintain your integrity even when others lack it. This passage speaks to our contemporary debates about work, welfare, and Christian responsibility. It affirms that work has dignity—it's not a curse but part of how we participate in God's creative purposes and contribute to community flourishing. It challenges both the prosperity gospel that equates godliness with wealth and the false spirituality that disdains ordinary work as unspiritual. It calls us to earn our own way when we're able, to help others generously when they genuinely need it, and to confront those who abuse the community's kindness. Most importantly, it reminds us that authentic faith expresses itself through productive contribution—not idle waiting for heaven but active engagement in the work God has given us to do until Christ returns.
PRAYER: Lord, give us the dignity of honest work, the generosity to help those genuinely in need, the wisdom to discern when help becomes enabling, and the perseverance to never tire of doing good—in Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Examine your own life this week—are you contributing productively to your community through work, service, or care for others, or have you drifted into idleness that makes you a burden rather than a blessing to those around you?
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me; and the more you give of yourself the more you will matter to others.
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
