Doing What is Right

 

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS

DOING WHAT IS RIGHT

2 Thess 3:11-15

11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people, we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

NIV

 These would be Paul's last words of instruction to these people, as the next few words to follow is simply the valediction. Here, again Paul uses this word to describe those who are walking disorderly among the church, or irregular, not working with their hands to support themselves, but he also now calls the busybodies. This Greek word translated as busybodies carries the meaning to bustle about uselessly, to busy oneself about trifling, needless, useless matters. The picture we see from that description is like someone hammer away on wood along with others who are building a church, but he has no nails. He just looks busy but accomplishes nothing. He adds nothing to the group’s efforts. Instead, Paul urges these types to settle down and actually earn the bread they eat. Actually, get involved in helping the cause. We are not sure if we know anyone like that within the family of believers we fellowship with, and in all reality, it is not up to us to try to find them either, for we are admonished to pay attention to our own labor and to never tire of doing the right thing. This goes right along with looking for a speck of someone’s eye when there could be a log in ours. It is a needless effort as well as taking away our efforts of doing with is right by searching around looking for that idle, disorderly, busybody. However, on the other hand, Paul tells us if anyone is not paying attention to the instructions in this letter we should take special note of him or her. That seems to indicate those idle, busybodies really stick out and are glaring brightly that we cannot miss them, even if we were not looking for them. If there are such people within our community of faith, and hopefully there are not, we are to have nothing to do with them, for a specific reason for making that person feel ashamed, however, still love them as a brother or sister in the Lord. That would be the most difficult part of being a believer, having to treat someone as an idle person. But then still loving them which we come right back to all those aspects of love as defined in his letter to the Corinthians. Every relationship we have with every other believer no matter if they are doing everything right, or just being a busybody, has to be based on love. So if we have any of those idle people, we still need to warn them, but love them as well. It is always about doing what is right.