Sometimes when you look for “gems” you have to dig. In this chapter they are laying all over on top of the ground.
Since this is Paul’s closing thoughts to the Church in Thessalonica, there is a sense of finality in his words. I have mixed feelings about saying goodbye…I can say goodbye to just about anyone and never shed a tear, unless it involves my grandkids. The first time I had to say goodbye to my first grandson it felt like I was having a heart attack. It’s hard to imagine how we can become so attached in such a short time.
Paul is saying goodbye. He isn’t really there, and it’s just a letter…but Timothy has just returned with great news and I’m sure Paul is filled with longing to be with them. In fact, if his desire to serve God wasn’t stronger, I think he would have been.
He fills this chapter with sage advice, beginning with the great hope that every Christian has…the hope of resurrection and life eternal with Jesus. As I listen to Paul speak, I sense that he views death as resting. There’s nothing final about death for Paul. He says “whether we are alive or dead when Jesus comes, it doesn’t matter…we will be transformed and go with Him” Maybe we assign too much permanence to the idea of death. What if we considered death as sleep? When you sleep you get back up and continue on your way. Even soldiers sleep when in dangerous situations…they post guards to arouse them should the need arise. You and I need death just like we need sleep. Death is the end of this flawed body that has been deformed by sin. When we wake back up, we will inhabit a new body that has never been damaged by sin’s corrosion. More than that, our new body will be an eternal body. On there best day, these bodies were never meant to last forever.
Paul highlights several different groups: the leaders and those who need help (lazy, timid or weak). If I refer to someone as “lazy” it’s not a compliment. But I don’t think Paul is trying to be mean here. Let me explain by using an illustration from my own life. I grew up with a bad habit of not putting my tools away when I was done with them. If I used a screwdriver, you could find it weeks later wherever I had last put in a screw….or used it as a crowbar. If I had used it outside, to work on the lawnmower…it was probably rusty. My Dad actually ran over one of his screwdrivers with the lawn mower that my brother and I had been using as a pick to dig a hole in the ground. Boy, was he mad. Sorry, Dad.
The point is, I have since learned that if you don’t put your tools away, you will spend more time looking for them, and less time getting things accomplished, and the tools last longer when you take care of them. That saves you money!
So why didn’t I put them away in the first place? I was lazy. Not in a permanent sense, but in a small way. So my Dad encouraged me to pick up the tools when I was done with them.
My mom encouraged me to put my dirty clothes in the hamper, instead of on the floor, and to put my toys in the toy box, instead of all over the floor. These small, 2-3 word encouragements helped me become more efficient. At the time I didn’t understand them, but today I look back and marvel at the wisdom of it all.
In the church we should do the same thing. It’s easy to come to a worship service and be “lazy” about how we worship. Or be “lazy” about how we prepare our lesson for others. If we simply put a small additional amount of effort into our work, it would pay enormous dividends spiritually, both now and in the future.
The lazy person retaliates because that’s what is easy. The mature Christian is patient, and does good, continues to pray, and remembers to be filled with joy. It’s as simple as remembering to put away your tools.
food for thought,
PR