“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6, ESV)
Laziness was a real issue in the Thessalonian church; it had overcome at least one of the citizens in the body of Christ there in Thessalonica. And to that Paul said, "This man needs to work. This man needs to provide. This man needs to get busy. Have nothing to do with this man that is caught up in an idle life."
In our Western and modern world, idleness is a temptation. It is available to us. We can be idle and - due to our wealth and abundance - get by.
But, the child of God wants to work because they have been given a mission from the Lord. The child of God does not want to be idle because there is sanctification to pursue. The child of God does not want to be idle because there are prayers to be prayed. And the child of God does not want to be idle because there are relationships to get after.
We want God's glory. And we want to live out our design. He made us to do things, create things, build things, and be things. Work is one of the best ways for us to love our neighbor as ourselves. To be a strong, healthy, good worker and citizen in this world is loving our world.
If you struggle with idleness, I give you the Book of Proverbs. If sloth is a sickness, the prescription is Proverbs. Let it be a regular part of your diet before God because proverb after proverb is filled with exhortations against laziness and for hard work with the fear of the Lord. Let God's word transform your mind and heart, and watch your work follow.
