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Sitting, Waiting, WishingFebruary 3, 20092 Thessalonians 3:6-15 Now 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. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and 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. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers. Singer/Songwriter Jack Johnson released a song a few years ago called "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing." The chorus begins with a question, "must I always be waiting, waiting on you?" Although he is singing about a potential love interest, his song could also be the voice of the early Christians in Thessalonica. Last week, we learned that those early believers in 1 Thessalonians were waiting expectedly for Jesus' triumphant return (1 Thess 4:15, 17). Although they didn't know when, they expected it to happen in their lifetime. The nearness of Christ's return made their practice of daily faith an urgent matter. In 2 Thessalonians, a letter believed to be written some time after the first, the writer turns attention from the immanent return of Jesus and focuses on Jesus' return as an unknown, far distant event in the future. Almost 2,000 years later, Christians are still waiting. The emphasis of 2 Thessalonians is not so much WHEN Christ will return, but HOW we should live in the meantime. In the scripture for today, Christians are warned not to wait idly for Christ's return, but rather to live an active faith. Hence, we shouldn't be like the song and sit, wait, and wish for Christ's return, but we should labor while we wait and wish for it. Although faith in Christ is all we need, genuine faith involves action, not idleness. It's easy to become comfortable with our faith. Although we don't consciously think about, many Christians do the minimum to get by. This might include church once a month or simply reading this devotion once a week. Others keep themselves looking busy doing church things, but their efforts are empty and produce little. When it comes to faith, the truth is that we can all do more to put our faith into action. Faith involves more than ourselves; it involves a community of people. There will always be opportunities for us to actively love others. Having an active faith is not to be viewed as bonus points; rather, it is a natural response to faith. Jesus' return should not be the primary focus of our daily faith. Although it is certainly a future hope for Christians, we should not idly sit, wait, and wish for it. Rather, we should live an active faith that does not grow weary doing what is right. Prayer: Jesus, I admit that I sometimes let my faith grow idle. I get tired and preoccupied. I forget to put faith into action in my daily life. Remove my bonds of apathy and free me to labor for you. Amen. For more informationRev. Leigh Martin |
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