We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. (2 Thessalonians 3 v 11-13)
So how do we encourage such people to get off their backsides and get involved with the nitty gritty of church life?
First up, busybodies. How do we turn the criticisers into critical workers in the church? Perhaps rather than getting drawn into “discussions” about how things are done badly (or smiling and saying nothing), we can gently encourage such people to be the solution to the problems they raise. Ask them to get involved and get them to agree to a specific time and task. It’s time to pull them off the substitutes’ bench, and put them on the pitch.... continue reading
We can all probably think of people we'd label as "layabouts" and "idlers" — maybe people who seem to sponge off their parents or spend half their lives on Facebook, rather than getting out there and “earning a living”. But this can easily become a plank and speck situation where we don’t even realise we’re sponging off others, either materially or spiritually.
We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. (2 Thessalonians 3 v 11-13)... continue reading
Bruno Mars sang, "Today I don't feel like doing anything. I just wanna lay in my bed." I find the song irritatingly catchy, but I can echo the sentiment. I'm a naturally lazy person who dreams of a day plonked on the sofa with a stack of DVDs at the ready. But God's word is quick to slap me in the face and wake me up. Especially Proverbs. Solomon really had it in for sluggards!
I went past the field of the sluggard,
past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
(Proverbs 24 v 30-31)... continue reading