DCLM Higher Everyday 1 February 2024 — Let The Idle Go Hungry
Topic: Let The Idle Go Hungry
Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12
6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
7For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
8Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
9Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
10For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
11For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
12Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Key Verse: “Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you” (2 Thessalonians 3:8)
Message
Vladimir Lenin, one of the fathers of socialism in the collapsed Soviet Union, wrote in his book that, “He who does not work shall not eat.” Though socialism vehemently opposed the Bible and the gospel preaching, it anchored its economic theory on God’s principle of dignity of labour, “that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
God Himself worked non-stop for six days to create the earth and at the end of creation, God put man in the Garden of Eden and ordered him to dress it. There is no short cut to good success; labour is a price that we must pay for an enduring breakthrough. In a nutshell, Apostle Paul’s message to Christians is that God detests laziness. A lazy person is not qualified to eat. Laziness is an invitation to hunger, poverty and failure. Like Paul and his companions, Christian youths must not be idle. They must work hard to have a bright and secure future. School leavers should engage in godly ventures, while students must strive for excellence in their studies to come out with flying colours.
Quote: Students must strive for excellence
Challenge: Labour is a key to a bright and secure future.
Prayer for today: Holy Father, help me to labour to the point of success, in Jesus’ name.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
