“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” -Psalm 37:25.
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus told us that when we seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; that He will provide everything we truly need.
This verse was often quoted in the church of my teen years, yet many times someone would quickly add, “Yeah, but you still need a job”; to which all of us would readily agree! It was a faithless addition to scripture, yet I fear the misapplying of verses like 2 Thessalonians 3:10 may lend to this conclusion, for taken by itself it says; “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
We need to keep in mind that chapters & verses were added to the Bible well after it was written, and 2 Thessalonians 3:10 is a part of ONE complete letter, and the letter is a part of God’s complete Word, which has 66 books. Paul explains one direct reason for the instructions of v.10 in v.11, where it says,
“For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.”
Too much idleness lends toward gossip, and other mischief that working can help people avoid, and this is the direction being pointed out.
Every Christian is an individual member of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:14,15), and our functions differ greatly in appearance; which becomes a point of stumbling when we expect other Christians to look too much alike in their service to God. We also take a lot for granted if we’re thinking that every job will have paychecks, or a time clock, or other visible things we can point to, when we know that FAITH is the evidence of things UNSEEN (Hebrews 11:1).
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” -John 7:24.
Godly work doesn’t always receive tangible rewards, like when the Apostles refused to wait on tables, and gave themselves to the Word of God and prayer, instead (Acts 6:1-4); or when Jesus commended Mary for listening to His teaching, instead of helping Martha serve (Luke 10:38-42); or when scripture shows that elders labouring in the word and doctrine are worthy of double honor (1 Timothy 5:17,18). Even Paul points out that he & his group could “forbear working,” yet they labored to set an example for others (1 Corinthians 9:6-14). Related scriptures are in the description. If we would take time to realize the importance of the Golden Rule in dealing with others, we’d know that it’s a work duty each of us has, that may not get much notice.
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” -Matthew 7:12, a.k.a. the Golden Rule.
“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” -Luke 17:10.
When we read the passages about God’s provision for those who seek first His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:25-33, Luke 12:22-34), Jesus never even hints that we should labor to supply our own needs, but actually seems to discourage it; thus allowing the emphasis to rest upon His will for our lives, whether or not that means work men can see!
Often our real struggle isn’t about knowing or carrying out God’s will, but with the loud opinions of protest we’re subjected to for being different. Pray diligently to be sure of His daily will for your life, then be strong in remembering the Bible’s admonition that;
“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” -1 Corinthians 7:23,24.
I also have a short YouTube teaching on this subject, that can be found at https://youtube.com/shorts/vL8ekDIT2zI?feature=share.
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