Vital Signs: Tuesday, February 4, 2025

The Call to Diligence

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you.” - ‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul was quite clear that it is wrong for someone to lie around, minding everyone else’s business while avoiding work. In God’s economy, everyone needs to work if physically possible. He instructed those in Thessalonica to avoid people who refused to work out of laziness and entitlement. Those who are unwilling to carry their own load are often irresponsible and not to be trusted. Their negative influence is infectious. Pray for them, yes! Allow them to influence us, no.

As people of God, we need to be productive and industrious. Let’s get to work, examine our attitudes about work, and do all that we do for the glory of God.