Monday, December 8, 2014

The Incentive of Survival (2 Thess. 3:10)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/8/2014 9:44 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Incentive of Survival

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  2 Thess. 3:10

            Message of the verses:  “10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”

            This is not the first time that Paul has talked to these people about this subject as we have discussed before.  1 Thess. 4:11 “And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:14 “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”  So the problem is not that they did not know this, the problem is that they were not following this command that Paul has given to them as the Word of the Lord.

            We have a great problem in our country with the giving away of food stamps to people who are just unwilling to work, and this causes those who receive them not to want to work, and then this causes more problems for it makes our society into an entitlement society.  What will probably happen is that one day we will run out of money to give the people who are unwilling to work and then there will be riots and eventually this will help in destroying our country.  The problem with history is that people don’t learn from it, so Paul is trying to stop this kind of behavior in Thessalonica.  My father was out on his own at very early age, but he never wanted to receive anything without working for it.  I have heard some stories or him riding the rails, moving from place to place just to try and find enough work in order to work.  This was passed on to his children and I am thankful for this quality of my father because it helped instill it into my life, the lives of my sisters, and the lives of our children, and they are passing it onto the lives of their children.

            We must remember that Paul’s issue is with those who will not work, and not with those who were unable to work.  If the church in our country would take care of the ones who are unable to work, then they would not have to rely on the government to care for them.  We have to be an example to the world by taking care of the ones in the flock we attend.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Trust the Lord to continue to give me the desire to help others who are in need by doing all that we can.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Mark 14:38 “"Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."”

Memory verses for the week:  2 Peter 1:1-4.

1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:  2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “A rod” (Exodus 4:2).

Today’s Bible question:  “According to 2 Corinthians 9:7, how should one give?

Answer in our next SD.

12/8/2014 10:09 AM

 

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