Monday; November 10

There were a myriad of issues that popped up in the early Christian church – some might have been expected, others may have taken them a bit by surprise.  One of the challenges appears to be a group in Thessalonica that seemed to just stop working.  Paul addresses this issue this way, “For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.” (II Thessalonians 3:11-12).  I have always wondered if they were so convinced that the Lord was returning that they just seized the opportunity to just sit around and wait.  On one hand this might have demonstrated a type of faith, but it also brought about some of the struggles of idleness.  When people aren’t engaged in something productive, negative characteristics tend to develop.

We live in a society where labor has advanced far beyond what it was in the First Century, but the dangers of idleness are still present.  In fact, even if we do have a job; but we don’t fill our off-duty hours with productivity, bad traits can develop.  When we sit around and don’t occupy our time and our minds with productivity challenges like gossip, bitterness, immorality, anxiety, sloth and a variety of other issues can overwhelm us. 

Years ago someone coined the philosophy, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”.  Let’s stay busy and let’s say focused on doing something productive with the time we have – especially our time off.

Think About It!