Episode 123 - Good Work! 2 Thessalonians 3

Sweet Selah Moments Podcast

We are finishing our series on Paul's letters to the Thessalonians today with a chat about having a good work ethic among other things. Join Sharon and Nicole for the grand finale as they discuss How to Live Wisely in Troubled Times.

Read the transcript for Good Work!-Episode 123

Speaker 1:

It is time for a pause in your day. Welcome to a podcast where we press the pause button on our busy lives for a few moments, and we focus on God’s word With Sharon and Nicole. We pray this is a time of refreshing for you. The Sweet Selah Moments Podcast is a cooperative production of Word Radio and Sweet Selah Ministries.

Nicole:

Welcome to the Sweet Selah Moments Podcast. This is episode 123. We are calling it Good Work. Let’s start by talking about work. Sharon, what kinds of jobs have you had over the years?

Sharon:

Well, a ton, Nicole. I just did everything I guess. I started out babysitting as I think most girls did back when I was young. I graduated to cleaning houses.

Nicole: Oh.

Sharon:

And hostess-ing at a restaurant. I wasn’t old enough to waitress at first. From there I waitressed my way through college.

Nicole: Nice.

Sharon:

And then I also lived with a lady who had multiple sclerosis, and I was paid by the state to help her with her daily tasks. I loved her so much, Nicole.

Nicole: Oh, I bet.

Sharon:

It really was wonderful. And looking back on that, she really prepared me well for the days of caregiving with Dad Gamble. So that was good. Who knew? I taught junior high students. I worked for a radio station in the advertisement department. I raised two sweet daughters. So there was the mother gig (Nicole: Yes) that went on. I taught piano lessons. I worked for Moms in Prayer. I was a receptionist at Portsmouth Christian Academy in the summers.

Nicole:
Oh, were you? That’s so fun.

Sharon:
I was the summer face. Yes.

Nicole: Nice.

Sharon:
And now I direct Sweet Selah Ministries. So just you know, a few jobs.

Nicole:
Just a few things. My goodness.

Sharon:
And you know what’s kind of funny? I majored in history.

Nicole: Did you?

Sharon:

At Gordon College. And I have yet to do any history related job. So perhaps in my nineties I’ll find a job in history.

Nicole:
Find something else. Yeah, and use that degree.

Sharon:

Yeah. Because when I was a teacher, I taught my minor, English and French, which I should never have been allowed to teach. I didn’t know enough. But anyways, I’ve totally loved the variety of jobs. And I have to say, this current job running Sweet Selah Ministries is my second favorite. First favorite is always mama and grandma.

Nicole: Oh, sure.

Sharon:
But second favorite. How about you?

Nicole:

That’s nice. Well, we’re so similar. We’ve both had a variety of jobs for sure. I also started babysitting at the age of 10 for family friends.

Sharon: Wow.

Nicole:

She started with two kiddos and she ended up with eight. But I only babysat up until she had, I think, five. They moved away. So I babysat. I also cared for an elderly woman with Parkinson’s disease.

Sharon: Wow.

Nicole:

I would bike over to her house and do her hair for her and just visit with her and clean her house while her husband would go shopping.

Sharon: That’s sweet.

Nicole:

Yeah. Odds and ends. So kind of funny. I also would house sit for people with dogs, if they’re going on vacation. And then I worked at JC Penney’s for a while in the men’s suit department. I would measure and fit suits. And then I was over in the jewelry department for a while, and that was so fun. I loved helping people pick out things, their you know, an engagement ring or something. So then after college I became a dental assistant and worked in several different dental offices. And actually I cleaned computers for a while too, over the summer.

Sharon: Huh?

Nicole:
At a local school district. That’s where I met Josh actually. He was interning there as technician.

Sharon:
That is so cute.

Nicole:

And I was cleaning computers. I’m like, oh, who’s that guy? Anyways, I cleaned computers. Then I worked at a crisis pregnancy center for a few years as a client advocate, and then I trained as a lactation counselor to help the new moms for a while. So that was really fun. I loved that. Oh yeah, then I had a few babies in there. Then there’s that mom gig that you never quite, you’re never quite finished with that one.

Sharon: Never.

Nicole:

Yeah. And so currently I am mom-ing these four brilliant and busy ladies. And I’m a dog owner and breeder, also helping with email for that. And now I am a podcast co-host with Sweet Selah Ministries.

Sharon:

Look at you! Do you know what is fun about this? You know how when you’re trying to choose your college and you’re trying to choose what you’ll do for the rest of your life?

Nicole: Yeah.

Sharon:
It’s this big huge decision.

Nicole: Oh yeah.

Sharon:

And if you get it wrong, you know, life will never be the same again. (Nicole: Right) And yet, look at the variety of jobs we’ve held. It’s amazing. It really is.

Nicole:

Oh yeah. And nothing to do with like that one, what is your one path the rest of your life? I was paralyzed trying to decide that.

Sharon:
Oh yeah, you can be.

Nicole:

And dental assisting is such a small part of my life, I’ve done so many other things that I have loved and that God has used. So it’s okay, young, overwhelmed high schooler. You will not ruin your life by choosing the wrong career path for a few years.

Sharon:
Absolutely not. And there’s time and a lifespan to do a lot of fun things.

Nicole:
Oh yes. Absolutely.

Sharon:

Yeah. Yeah. Boy. Okay. Well, today we’re finishing up our study of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. As Paul finishes this last letter to them he talks about a lot of different things. But one of the themes is how then should we live and work in light of troubled times and in light of being believers in Christ. I think this chapter is really relevant to all of us today. So how about we start? I’ll begin with chapter three, verse one. And we’ll read the whole chapter back and forth before we study, verse by verse. So here we go, 2 Thessalonians 3:1. “Finally”, (that’s kind of a clue it’s the last chapter) “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.”

Nicole:
“Pray too that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people. For not everyone is a believer.”

Sharon:
“But the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”

Nicole:

“And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.”

Sharon:

“May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.”

Nicole:

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us.

Sharon:
“For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you.”

Nicole:

“We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night, so we would not be a burden to any of you.”

Sharon:
“We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.”

Nicole:
“Even while we were with you, we gave you this command. Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”

Sharon:

“Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.”

Nicole:

“We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to settle down and work to earn their own living.”

Sharon:
“As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.”

Nicole:

“Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed.”

Sharon:
“Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.”

Nicole:

“Now, may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation, the Lord be with you all.”

Sharon:
“Here is my greeting in my own handwriting, Paul. I do this in all my letters to prove they are for me.”

Nicole:
“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” I love that ending part.. So funny.

Sharon:

I love it. I love it. Okie dokie. That’s a lot. So we’re gonna break it down and examine each verse one at a time. I’m gonna reread verse one as we begin to dig deep. I love this part.

Nicole: I know.

Sharon:

Okay. So my verse, verse one, “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes. Just as when it came to you.” Prayer matters. It matters. Jesus told people to pray. Paul begs for prayer all the time. I don’t completely understand why things happen when we pray and don’t when we don’t, ’cause God can do whatever God wants to do. But he chooses to act when we pray. And over and over we see this as Paul says, pray, pray, please pray. So something is released. when we do the prayer thing. So, and I love what he’s praying for, that the message will be spread. He’s passionate about getting the message out to the Gentiles all around the world. (Nicole: Right) So spread rapidly. And that it’d be honored because so often it wasn’t and he would get booted out of another town. Right?

Nicole: Poor guy.

Sharon:

Poor guy. I know it. But that’s what he wants. He wants the message to be heard and to be honored just as when it came to them, because the ones he’s talking to believed it and honored it.

Nicole:

Right. Oh, I know. Well, verse two says, “Pray too”. So he’s continuing asking more specifically for more things. “Pray too that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.” So it’s interesting. he does see the value in prayer and he is also giving them a specific thing.

Sharon: Yes.

Nicole:

And it’s not, you know, help me not to be harmed and be wealthy. And, you know, it’s a very unselfish prayer. It’s a very good one. Please help me be rescued from evil people. But it’s a warning too, I think that, you know, not everyone is a believer. It’s a reminder that we are fighting against some very wicked and evil people. You know, but I think there’s also a little bit of grace in that for, not everyone is a believer. That statement, because it’s a reminder that, you know, we have the grace of God, but they don’t. So they are wicked and evil ’cause they don’t, they’re not a believer. So there might be a little bit of grace in there too. Like a reminder like, Hey, yeah, this is worth the fight.

Sharon:

I kinda like that thought too because we need to give grace to unbelievers. They aren’t free yet. They don’t know that they’ve been saved and they’ll be loved forever.

Nicole: Right, right.

Sharon:
So they’re probably very much unhappier.

Nicole:
I’m sure they are.

Sharon:

Yes. So, oh, that’s so cool. Okay. Verse three. “But the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” So he’s just talked about rescue and evil people and not everybody’s believing, but, so now he’s kind of almost comforting. But God is faithful. I mean, we don’t have to freak out and be scared. He strengthens and he guards us so we can rest in that. So we are to be aware of evil, but we’re not to be cowed by it.

Nicole:

Yeah. Afraid to leave the house because it’s everywhere. Oh, that’s good. And then verse four, “And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you”. So I love that he stays confident, like you just said, we’re not cowering. But also he’s so good at encouragement, isn’t he? You know, we’re confident that you are doing, so you’ve been doing it. Good job. And will continue to do the things we commended you. So that’s an exhortation. It’s a keep it up.

Sharon: Yes.

Nicole:
You guys are doing great. Keep doing great.

Sharon:

Keep going. Yeah. So encouragement and exhortation all in the same breath. And boy, isn’t it easier to please someone who is pleased with you.

Nicole: Oh, sure.

Sharon:
You just want ’em to keep applauding.

Nicole:

Yeah. And it’s a good reminder too, I think sometimes, you know it’s hard to be a Christian and do the right things. And sometimes you get weary and think, well, I’ve been doing good. I’ll take a little break. It’s like, no, keep doing it. Keep going.

Sharon:
Yes. Don’t stop, don’t stop.

Nicole:
That’s a good reminder.

Sharon:

Yeah. Verse five is another one of those little blessings. I love finding them. I just do, “May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding, an expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ”. So there’s three blessings in here that he wants their hearts to be led into a full understanding. So that’s important. Sometimes we don’t fully understand who God is and what we have in him. So to pray for someone to have that understanding is a wonderful prayer and an expression of the love of God. That we fully express God’s love to others. I need prayer for that. I don’t always feel like expressing God’s love for others. And I want to fully express that; he’s so patient, which leads to the third, patient endurance that comes from Christ. And patient endurance has been a word that God has really laid on my heart because of all the difficulty I’ve had with hearing. And sometimes he doesn’t heal. Sometimes he says, I have to patiently endure. But I can and I can be patient in it because that comes from Christ, Christ’s Spirit living within me.

Nicole:

Right. Oh, that’s so good. And then verse six, he says, “And now dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us”. So again, he’s kind of pulling them in as brothers and sisters. We’re a family, you know? And he’s giving this command in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, not Paul trying to set up something on his own. (Sharon: Yes) So he’s kind of backing it. But this is interesting, to stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the traditions.

Sharon: It is.

Nicole:

So I just think of like as a parent, your parents tell you when you’re a little girl, you know, pick your friends carefully because who you’re with is who you become. And I think he’s saying the same thing, like the people we spend the most time with, that we share life with, they influence us powerfully, whether we know it or not. So if we’re hanging around with believers who are not following God’s commands and who are idle, it’s so easy just to settle in and be idle with them too. So this is a really good reminder, to be careful who we hang around with.

Sharon: Yes.

Nicole:
It’s so much easier to slip into old habits of sin than to constantly be on guard to be a good example.

Sharon: Absolutely.

Nicole:
Especially with believers, ’cause you’re family, so you assume it’s a safe place to just—

Sharon: That’s so true.

Nicole:

You’re more like, when I’m with my friends who don’t know Christ, I’m definitely more guarded and cautious. But with my believers, oh, we’re all Christians, it’s fine. You can get into more trouble that way.

Sharon:

You actually can and you can walk away from the tradition (Nicole: Yes) that they received. Which is basically the word of God. (Right) So Yeah. And I think that’s interesting that that’s a part of it, that they don’t follow the tradition they received.

Nicole:
Yeah. That’s interesting.

Sharon:

Yeah. Yeah. Probably because idleness leads to not studying the word. Idleness leads to not, you know, being regularly in fellowship.

Nicole: Right.

Sharon:
You know, we get really lazy.

Nicole:

Well, that’s true. The idleness really does open the door to so many other sins, I think. Because you’re just hanging around with nothing to occupy your time. And our natural inclination is to sin. So our mind is gonna find those ways that aren’t good.

Sharon:
Yeah. Yeah. And idleness leads to selfishness, right?

Nicole: Oh sure.

Sharon:

It does. So, Hmm. Okay then, verse seven, “For, you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you.” So Paul’s not asking them when he tells ’em to work hard to do something he didn’t do. He worked hard. He was not idle. He was a tent maker. And so he took his profession with him. And he still sewed. I don’t know what he did. I guess he made tents. Right?

Nicole: Right.

Sharon:
That would involve sewing, I think.

Nicole:
I think so.

Sharon:
Of some kind, or weaving or whatever’s.

Nicole:
Whittling the stakes. I don’t know.

Sharon:
Quite frankly, I have no idea how you make a tent.

Nicole:
I was gonna say, I don’t know. Especially back then, it was different materials.

Sharon:
Yes. But whatever it was, Paul did it.

Nicole:

Right. Oh, that’s good. And then verse number eight, “We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night, so we would not be a burden to any of you.” So I think sometimes we get it in our head that work is bad. like, oh, work, but work existed before the fall.

Sharon: Yes. It did.

Nicole:

They were working in the garden. God gave them a purpose and a job. And it was a joy to them. So I think when we think of work, it’s rrr work. But no, it’s good for us. It’s good for us to do what God has called us to do, to bless others by it. And I think Paul did a great job of illustrating that.

Sharon:

It is. It’s so true. That’s such a good point. I always take the month of July off, we have the Selah rest month. Right. And I laze about and am idle.

Nicole:
It’s delightful.

Sharon:

And do you know what? Yeah, it is. And yet at the end of the month, I’m kind of bored. You know, and I’m ready to go back to a, to-do list and seeing things accomplished.

Nicole:
Yes. It does feel wonderful.

Sharon:

It does. It does. So, okay, verse nine, “We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.” So right here he is pointing out that the workers are worthy of their wage. He could have had them pay for him. He was working in terms of teaching the scriptures to them, in terms of healing people, in terms of listening to their sad stories. He was a pastor. Pastors get paid. Right?

Nicole: Yes.

Sharon:

Yes. So he had the right, but what he chose to do instead was demonstrate a work ethic. Because he wanted them to follow the example of a work ethic.

Nicole: Right.

Sharon:
Even though as a pastor he didn’t have to do that.

Nicole:

Right. Oh, that’s good. And then verse 10 says, “Even while we were with you, we gave you this command. Those unwilling to work will not get to eat”. Do you know that was the motto of Jamestown and the early settlers? That’s what I think it was, John Smith, had said to, I can’t remember which person it was. But he said, those who don’t work don’t eat. So it’s a very practical and necessary command at certain times. Because if you had to feed all these people and a limited amount of food, you gotta work for it.

Sharon:
That’s exactly right. And everybody has to work for it. Yes.

Nicole:

Yeah. So that’s good. I think, you know, obviously this is not referring to those who cannot work or who are in need. (Sharon: Yes) Just as a side note to remind us. (Yes) But if you are completely able to, to not be that burden, as Paul said, we didn’t wanna be a burden to you. If you see people that come and just always ask you for things and never, it’s like, ugh. You’re not excited to see them. You don’t wanna be a burden on anybody.

Sharon: No. No.

Nicole:
There’s such a gift in being able to bless others and to be blessed at times when we fall on hard times.

Sharon: Yes.

Nicole:
But to be that person, you don’t wanna be that person.

Sharon:
You don’t wanna be that person

Nicole:

That’s not a good witness of Christ to always be like, Hey, could I, you know? No one wants to be around that.

Sharon:

I had a friend who said to me, ’cause she was going through hard times, she said, I am so tired. She’s southern. Oh, I’m so tired of being pitiful.

Nicole:
Bless her heart. No.

Sharon:

That was perfect. So, but yes. Being pitiful on purpose, you know, she was being pitiful on purpose, is not a good thing.

Nicole: No.

Sharon:
So, okay. You know, we would love to feed you. Here’s a job.

Nicole: Right.

Sharon:

Here’s a job. Yeah. I love that. Oh my goodness. Okay, verse 11, “Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business”.

Nicole: There it is.

Sharon:

So now we’re going back to how idleness, laziness, sloth actually makes you a not nice person in other ways. They have nothing to do except mess with other people. Right.

Nicole: Right. Yeah.

Sharon:

You become selfish and not wanting to serve. And instead you’re critical of other people. You’re kind of justifying your own laziness.

Nicole:

Kind of sitting back, watching everyone else and Yeah. That’s funny ’cause I wondered why idleness? Why highlight idleness as a thing to come against? It doesn’t seem too terrible in and of itself. But it is such a slippery gateway sin to so many others, isn’t it?

Sharon:
It’s because it’s self-indulgent. Yes. And when we start just self indulging, we’re actually less happy.

Nicole:

Oh it’s true.

Sharon:
Than when we have accomplished things and blessed others.

Nicole:

And we’re looking to fill that. Well when we’re looking to fill that unhappiness and looking, you know, I think of King David when he was idle.

Sharon: Yes.

Nicole:
What a mess that started.

Sharon:
Yes it did. Exactly. So good example.

Nicole:

It’s not good. Yeah. I’ll pick on David. So verse 12 says, “We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. So again, Paul is not saying this for his own gain, so he can get more. He’s concerned about them. He knows, like you said, they’re not really happy. This is not what they need to be doing. Settle down and work ’cause it’s better to do that.

Sharon:

So much better. So much better. Absolutely. Verse 13, “As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good”. And you know, sometimes I don’t know about you, but in school, here’s an example. I would be doing a group project, I hated group projects in school.

Nicole: Oh yeah.

Sharon:

Because I was a firstborn and I wanted to do it right. So I would do 95% of the group project. So that I’d sure that we got a good grade on it.

Nicole:
It was done properly. Right.

Sharon:
And it was done right. And you can get really tired of like, how come I am doing most of the work?

Nicole:

Right.

Sharon:
Well, because you march right in and take over Sharon. That might be it.

Nicole:
And people are like, oh sure, go for it.

Sharon:

But, but point being, we can get weary, especially when we see other people not doing the same, that comparison thing that is so dangerous and he’s saying, Uhuh, Uhuh, don’t get tired of doing good. I love that. I need to remember that you know, if we don’t get tired of doing good, I can’t remember the verse, but it’s never grow weary of doing good for in due season you’ll reep a harvest if you do not give up. (Nicole: Yes, yes) That is a verse in one of the Pauline letters. And you know, that’s the point, when we don’t give up, there’s a harvest that comes from it. So.

Nicole:

Yes. No, that’s good. Because he’s been focusing on the idle people. But the ones that are doing good job, it’s like, well, I’ve been working really hard and I’m—, you know? It’s so easy to get that attitude. Then he says, verse 14 says, “Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so that they will be shamed”. So that’s really interesting. I think that’s more referring to if we’re walking with God and following him, there’s natural blessings that come from that. There’s that peace that comes from doing what God has put before us. (Sharon: Yes) And we emanate that peace and God’s love and blessing from our lives. So I think if we stay away from them, they’re not receiving that (Right) peace and reaping the benefits of our, I don’t know, following God. (Yeah) So I’m thinking maybe that’s it. I’m trying to think how else they could be ashamed if we stay away from them. (Yeah) But that was kind of tricky to think through.

Sharon:

Yeah, it is kind of tricky, but evidently that’s what will happen. And it’s not so that they will be beaten up.

Nicole: Right.

Sharon:
It’s so that they’re like, oh, I wanna go back and help.

Nicole:

Yeah. Maybe that’s it. Looking over at the little community garden and everyone’s working hard and they’re sitting by themselves. So maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s more of an isolation. Not an isolation, but kind of, (Sharon: Kind of) like you’re isolated if you choose the wrong thing. It’s not fun over there. So come back quicker.

Sharon:

Exactly. Exactly.

Nicole:
We’ll settle on that.

Sharon:
And they’re kind of self choosing it too.

Nicole: That’s true.

Sharon:
You know, ’cause they, they can work.

Nicole:
Right. Oh yeah.

Sharon:

So, but verse 15 softens it a little bit. It says, “Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister”. So I love that. Because the end goal, always, is that there’ll be a return to fellowship. It’s never permanent, Get out of here.

Nicole:

Right. Or a judging or a shaming. It’s a Well, this is the natural consequence of your sin. (Sharon: Right) It’s gotta sting so that you come back.

Sharon:

Right. Exactly so. We had an incident in Germany when we were in a German church where a woman started attending our church who had chosen Germany ’cause the welfare system was better than France. And so she moved to enjoy welfare. So that was unique. So we worked really hard with her for a long time. We showed her how to live on a budget within the welfare system, so she wouldn’t run out of money and then she would repeatedly go out to restaurants and spend all her money and then ask us to feed her.

Nicole: Oh no.

Sharon:

For the rest of the month. And so we did, we stopped feeding her. Yeah. And I can remember her coming over and saying, I’m really hungry and me saying, we did show you, you know, and all this stuff. Mm. And then she finally, she went to another church and she did it with like, for a few other churches and eventually everybody kind of got tired of it. And she came back to me and she said, why? And she let me tell her. I said, oh, you’re always taking, you need to give.

Nicole: Yes.

Sharon:
If you offer to work in the nursery, if you offer to serve in some way, you’re gonna be so much happier.

Nicole: Oh yeah.

Sharon:
And then I fed her that day.

Nicole:
Oh, that’s nice of you.

Sharon:
Yes. But anyways, she reformed. She went back to school. She became a nursing home assistant.

Nicole:
Oh my goodness, Sharon. That’s wonderful.

Sharon:
Isn’t that the sweetest ending?

Nicole:
Wow. That’s a perfect example for this passage.

Sharon:
I know, I thought so. Yeah, it was.

Nicole:
So it worked.

Sharon:
It actually did. But it was really painful in the middle.

Nicole:
Oh sure. Well ’cause you don’t wanna tell anyone that’s hungry, and send them, It feels wrong.

Sharon:

It does. It does. If we hadn’t spent like five months watching her not do anything we advised, we couldn’t have done it. So.

Nicole:

And that line between grace and enabling, it’s hard sometimes. (Sharon: It’s hard) We really have to lean on God to know when we need to stop, you know, hold back and go, Okay, now you must feel the consequences. So you don’t continue to sin.

Sharon: Right. Exactly.

Nicole:
So it is a grace. It just feels hard.

Sharon:
Hard. But it ended well.

Nicole:

Good. I’m so glad. Then verse 16 says, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times. And in every situation, the Lord be with you all.” I like this verse.

Sharon: Yes.

Nicole:

After some hard commands to you know, kind of push away or withhold some of the blessings from those who are idle, to come back to, the Lord himself is gonna give you peace. And He’s with us in all circumstances, even in hard ones where we say no to people.

Sharon:
Yes, yes. He will. Yeah.

Nicole:
The Lord be with you also. I like that verse.

Sharon:

I do too. Verse 17 is fun. In my translation it was in capital letters, it’s kind of cute. “Here is my greeting in my own handwriting, Paul. I do this in all my letters to prove they are from me.” ‘Cause he had to guard against people pretending they were him. Even back then, people were pretending to be someone they weren’t. Weird.

Nicole:
That’s interesting. Do you think he had someone write his letters for him?

Sharon:
Usually I think he had a scribe.

Nicole: Okay.

Sharon:

But he would sign it with his signature, which evidently even back then they’d recognize as Paul’s signature. So it was like, this is really me.

Nicole:

Wow. That’s interesting. And then verse 18 says, “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all”. What a beautiful ending to his letters.

Sharon:
So lovely. So now it’s time for our three questions. So Nicole, what was your favorite verse?

Nicole:
Oh, verse 16.

Sharon: Aw.

Nicole:

“May the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times in every situation.” Just the promise of peace in every situation. “And the Lord be with you all.” Like he’s with us through everything.

Sharon: He is.

Nicole:
Good and bad. And it’s his peace. He is the Lord of peace.

Sharon:
He is. Himself. Yes.

Nicole:
Himself. And we have him. It’s just such a beautiful reminder. How about you?

Sharon:

I love that. I chose verse three, but the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Nicole:
Ooh, that’s a good one too.

Sharon:

Just a reminder that I can trust him. So what did I learn about God from this passage? I’ll start on this one. Number one, he strengthens us. Number two, he guards us from the evil one. Number three, he moves when we pray. And number four, he is the Lord of peace and he gives us that peace.

Nicole:
That’s so good.

Sharon:
Those are mine. What about you?

Nicole:
That’s good. Well, I said that he is practical too. He gives very practical advice.

Sharon:
Yes. He does.

Nicole:

Very practical follow through for these things. And he’s just, he calls out sin fairly. You know, for those people who were working hard, I bet sometimes it feels like, oh man, I’m doing good, but am I, is it doing any good to do the good and to be called out and reminded to keep on is so good. And that he called out, Hey, these people need to be reminded not to be idle. So.

Sharon: Exactly.

Nicole:
God is just, we can trust him.

Sharon:
I like that part too.

Nicole:
He’s fair. Yeah.

Sharon:
Yes. Yeah. And so what do we learn about living wisely in troubled times?

Nicole:

I put choose friends wisely. (Sharon: Yes) Choose to surround ourselves with people who are going to encourage us and push us more toward walking with Christ. And not that will distract us with idleness or gossip or whatever else.

Sharon:

I like that. And I wrote I need to go about my work and doing good no matter what anyone else is doing. Sharon just needs to do Sharon.

Nicole:
That’s so good.

Sharon:

Yes. And we need to be honest with those who are flailing about, but do it in love. And then lastly, pray. Pray, pray. Pray. Pray.

Nicole:
And then pray some more.

Sharon:
Yes. Speaking of which it’s time to pray.

Nicole:
It is time to pray.

Sharon:

Oh, heavenly Father, I thank you that you alone can minister mercy and justice in the right balance. Thank you for this chapter. Thank you for the reminder of the dangers of being idle and slothful. Help us to please you with our work ethic. Help us to please you with the way we serve. And thank you Lord, that you are faithful and you guard and protect and strengthen. And even when we’re idle, you want us warned, just so you can bring us back to you again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Nicole:

Amen. We are so thankful for you, our listeners, and we hope you enjoyed studying along with us this fall. It’s almost Christmas. Would you consider a gift to our ministry? We are working on several new projects next year, and we have a goal of gaining 10 more monthly donors. Whether you donate specifically to the podcast as a podcast partner or generally to the ministry, it would be such a wonderful blessing for us. Go to SweetSelah.org/donations. Your donation is also tax deductible as we are a registered nonprofit ministry. We’ve got one more episode to share with you in 2023. We couldn’t let this year end without at least one Christmas episode. Our last episode of the season is episode 124 Prophecy and Promise. Join us next week as we look at the Christmas story together. Until then, we hope you will continue to live wisely in these troubled times.

Speaker 1:

We are so glad you stopped for a while with us. The Sweet Selah Moments Podcast is a cooperative production of Word Radio and Sweet Selah Ministries. More information about this podcast can be found @SweetSelah.org. Thank you for joining us.

You can view and download the transcript here.