Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest. We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. We didn’t sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t be burdened with taking care of us. And it wasn’t because we didn’t have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious. Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.
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3 Days
It’s easy to sit on the sidelines of life and refuse to get in the game. Maybe you’ve got a bunch of excuses for why you can’t. Maybe you don’t want to make the necessary effort or take responsibility. Maybe you’ve been riding the bench so long you’re not sure you even know how to play the game anymore. Let best-selling author, Tony Evans, help you get in the game.
In some ways, nothing really prepares a person to be a pastor or leader. Education helps; books help, and seminars help, but some things can only be learned by experience. Let this devotional challenge you with some key values every pastor and leader should develop.
This plan offers a 3-day journey through the book of 2 Thessalonians, making it ideal for both individual and group study.
4 Days
The apostle Paul is legendary for his work as a minister of the gospel. But we often forget that throughout his ministry, Paul also worked as a culture-creating tentmaker. As Scriptures in this plan make clear, Paul had the option to work as a “donor-supported missionary” but chose not to. Why? That’s the question we’ll answer in this plan, and in so doing, glean insights relevant to our own work.
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