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Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 this week.
We're on our third day looking again at verses 6 to 12. You might remember that
yesterday we began to look at these verses.

We talked together about the danger of being idle. Today I'd like to focus on
the value of choosing work. The idea that you ought to work.

Now why ought you to work in these verses? Well Paul has two major reasons why
he says to the Thessalonians you ought to work. Number one, and this should
cover it all, you ought to work because of the command of Jesus.

In verse 12 he says, "Such people we command, we urge in the Lord Jesus Christ
to settle down and earn the bread that they eat. " Verse 12, we're going to come
back in a moment to how very important this simple command is in our daily
lives. So right now I want you to focus on the fact that this is a command.

This is not a suggestion. This is a command that comes from the scriptures. We
command you to settle down and earn the bread that you eat.

So God commands that I should do it. That sort of settles it. By the way, as we
read through these verses you may have noticed that sometimes the Bible will say
the Lord commands and sometimes Paul will say we command.

What's the difference between those? When Paul says the Lord commands, he's
talking about a specific quote that he's heard from Jesus Christ. Jesus has said
this and he's passing along to them.

When he says we command, he's talking about something he's learned in his own
life through the Holy Spirit, through God's direction in his life, that he's
passing along to them. But here's the important thing. Don't miss this.

Since the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these words, when Paul says we
command, it carries equal weight to him saying the Lord commands. A lot of
people never get this in life. They think, well, if Jesus commanded it, I have
to do it.

If somehow Paul commanded it, well, it's sort of optional. Paul didn't command
it. He's inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament is inspired by the Holy Spirit. And so Jesus saying, I'm
saying this, or Paul saying, I'm saying this, the Holy Spirit is the inspiration
in it all. And since he is the inspiration, they are all commands from God.

Don't miss that. Don't let anybody confuse you on that. Pretty simple thing when
you recognize the Holy Spirit inspired the Bible.

When Paul says Jesus commands, he's just saying, I heard this directly from the
words of Jesus. When he's saying I command or we command, he's saying the Holy
Spirit's inspiring me to say this right now. And with that in mind, why did Paul
say we ought to work?

He said first, because of the command of Jesus. But he says there's a second
reason. He says not only the command, but also because of our example.

We've shown you how to do this, he says. Let me read for you verses seven to
nine. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.

We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without
paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so
that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this not because we do not
have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to
follow.

You see what he says here? We weren't idle among you. We didn't eat anybody's
food.

We worked night and day, laboring, toiling. We didn't want to be a burden. And
we did all this because we wanted to be a model, an example for you to follow.

That's how important it was for Paul to show them what it meant to work. He knew
it was something that was vital in their daily spiritual lives. This also
reveals, by the way, something of the character of the Apostle Paul as a leader.

Warren Wiersbie says of Paul here, "Selfish leaders use people to build up their
support, and they're always claiming their rights. A truly dedicated leader will
use his rights, will give up his rights to build up the people, and will lay
aside his rights and privileges for the sake of others. " These verses, as Paul
talks about work and what it means, they're focusing on the value of work.

And here's the important thing. Here is what I want you to get in these verses.
Paul is not talking here about just your dream job.

He's talking about any work. He says here, "I'm talking about settling down and
earning the bread that you eat. Any work that puts food on the table, puts bread
on the table, is valuable work in the eyes of God.

" Let me say that again. Any work that puts bread on the table is valuable work
in the eyes of God. Why?

Because God made us to work. Remember that God ordained work before the fall
back in the Garden of Eden. Adam, when he was created, before they sinned,
before they ate the apple, he was given jobs to do right from the beginning.

God gave him a commission to keep the garden. He gave him the job of naming all
the animals, which if you think about that for a minute, that was no small job,
naming every animal in all of creation. And this was before the fall, before
they ate the apple.

Now afterwards, you read in the book of Genesis that with toil, with labor, with
difficulty, he would have to work. You see, some of the difficulty, some of the
drudgery, some of the labor that comes when you think it's just too hard, it
shouldn't be this hard, that's because of the fall that happened. But even
before the fall, there was work to do.

And even working in a fallen world, there is value in the work that we do. In
any work that you do that puts food on the table, as long as it's done with
character, as long as it's done with looking to honor God. I know a lot of
people, when they talk about their work, they say, "I'm just not satisfied.

I'm not fulfilled because I'm not changing the world with the work that I do. "
And so it must not be valuable work. Work that puts food on the table, done in
thankful praise to God, is valued throughout the Bible.

The truth of the matter is the idea that every work that we do has to change the
world is somewhat ridiculous. Some people have to do the work that enables other
people to eat, some people have to do the work that enables other people to have
plumbing, some people have to do the work that enables other people to have
electricity, some people have to do the work that enables other people to have a
million different things. And that is valuable work.

Now when it comes to changing the world, you can change the world in any work
that you do, because there are people involved. And involvement with those
people in the way that you pray for them, the way that you influenced you have a
chance to change the world right then and right there. And so any work is
valuable as long as it's done in thankful praise to God with character and with
heart, with a sense of authenticity and integrity before God.

So that's why Paul says, "I command you, I urge you, settle down and earn some
money. " Verse 12 again, "Such people we command, we urge, settle down, earn the
bread they eat. " Live a respectful life.

Why? Because hearts are changed by personal example. That's what Paul says here
in these verses.

"I gave you a personal example because I knew it would change your heart. " And
as you work in the job that you're working in, hearts can be changed by your
personal example, the way that you work, the attitude that you have towards that
work. I will be frank in saying that the problem that many of us have is not
choosing not to work, but honestly over-investing in the work that we have,
thinking that somehow we're going to find in some job the fulfillment that only
comes in a relationship with Jesus Christ, trying to find meaning and purpose in
just your work.

You find meaning, you find purpose in your relationship with Christ, and you
bring that to your work. You get that backwards and you will be frustrated the
rest of your life. Work is a place to express your purpose, not a place to find
your purpose.

Let me say that again. Work is a place to express your purpose, not a place to
find your purpose. And that is why any work that you do, you can express the
purposes of worship.

You can get praised to God while you're working. You can express the purposes of
ministry. You can serve others while you're working.

You can express the purposes of fellowship. You can fellowship with other
believers that are at that work. You can express the purposes of evangelism,
reaching out to others in the work that you're doing.

You can express the purposes of growth in character in any work that you do as
you trust God. There's no work that you do where you cannot express God's
purposes through that work. Now as you pray today, I want to pray for the job
that you're a part of right now, the work that you have right now, that you'll
be finding the opportunity to express God's purposes today.

Lord, thanks. Thanks first of all for the opportunity to work in ways that
express my purpose. And God, I pray, I pray that today we would work in ways
that express our purpose.

We can always look to the future and think about what's going to happen in many,
many days to come, plan and have ideas about the job I'd like to have tomorrow
or next week. But God, you put me where I am right now, and where I am right now
today, even if it's looking for a job, if that's my work of today, I pray that I
would do this work in ways that express your purpose in my life. God show me how
I can grow through my work today.

God show me who I can share with the good news in my work today. Show me
somebody who needs fellowship, a word of encouragement at my work today. Show me
somebody I could serve at my work today.

And God help me today to give you praise in whatever work that I'm doing. I pray
this, Jesus, in your name, amen. Well join us tomorrow, we're going to be
looking together at a question that comes up in many people's minds in verses 13
to 15 of 2 Thessalonians chapter 3.