As
Paul the apostle continued to give the Thessalonian church members
some final directives, he included commands concerning those who did
not work and busybodies. In chapter three and verse twelve of this
second letter to them, Paul instructed the church members to work
with “quietness” where we read:
Now
them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ,
that with
quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
The
verse begins, “Now them that are such we command and
exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ,...” The
verse begins with the word “Now”
which means “then, also, yet, moreover, nevertheless and even”
“them that are such”
which refers to “this kind or sort” “we command”
or “charge, declare, transmit a message along from one to another
or announce” “and exhort”
which means “beseech, comfort, desire, pray, intreat, call to one's
side, summon, address, speak to, admonish and encourage”
“by our Lord” which means
“he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has
power of deciding; master and the title
is given to God the Messiah” “Jesus”
whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the
Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “Christ”
which means “the anointed One and the Messiah”. Paul's basis and
foundation for his direction to the Thessalonian church members was
none other than Jesus Christ the Lord.
The
verse goes on to say, “...that
with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” Paul
continued, “that with quietness”
which means “in stillness and silence and refers to the description
of the life of one who stays at home doing his own work and does not
officiously meddle with the affairs of others”
“they work” which
refers to the church members “labor, minister, commit, trade,
exercise, perform, cause to exist, produce and acquire”
“and eat” or “consume and
devour” “their own bread”
or “food composed of flour mixed with water and baked or food of
any kind”. Paul desired for the church members to be silently busy
about their own work, eating their own food, and staying away from
the business and provisions of others.
When
we meditate upon Paul's words, we understand the wisdom in “working
quietly” and “eating their own” food. Rather than
being lazy, aloof and without ambition, church members were to
silently do their work and partake of their own bread. This
exhortation is good for all who follow after Jesus Christ. Our lives
become examples and witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ in
action, and when we do our own work in quietness and eat of our own
food, we demonstrate Christian principles. May the Lord Jesus help us
know how to fulfill Paul's instructions, and when others observe our
example, may He shine forth in the way we live.
Next
time Paul tells the Thessalonians not to be “weary in
well doing”, so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment