Tag: labor

2 Thessalonians 3:8 – A Servant Above Reproach

Posted on by Will

nor did we eat anyone's bread as a free gift, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,

Truth to Learn

The Apostle Paul behaved above reproach in his ministry.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “as a free gift” is dōrean, which is based on dōron, meaning “a gift.” Hence, dōrean means “as a free gift.”

“Worked” is translated from ergadzomai, which is a form of ergon, meaning “work.” Ergadzomai means “to be engaged in work or labor, usually as a regular trade.”

Kopos is the word translated “labor.” Its base meaning is “to cut,” but it is used to refer to “hard labor which produces weariness.”

The word “toil” in translated from mochthos, which refers to “painful labor.”

“Burden” is from the Greek verb epibareō. This is composed of epi, meaning “on” or “upon,” used here as an intensifier and bareō, meaning “to weigh down with a heavy burden.” Thus, epibareō means “to place a heavy burden on someone.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about those in the church who are disorderly, especially those teachers who had come into the church in Thessalonica and had taught them erroneous truths about the Day of the Lord. In order to demonstrate his own commitment to God and to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul is explaining to them how he, Timothy, and Sylvanus (Silas) had behaved while they ministered to the saints there.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he explained at length why ministers of the gospel have a right to expect to be supported by those to whom they minister (see 1 Corinthians 9:1-27). Also, from Acts 18:2, 3 we learn that Paul was a tentmaker by trade and worked in that occupation to support himself while he was also working full-time as a preacher of the gospel. Apparently, this was his practice wherever he went so as not to be a burden to those who received his teaching.

In today’s verse we again see how hard Paul worked (apparently both as a preacher and a tentmaker) in order to deliver the Gospel message. Here he reminds the Thessalonians that he did not receive free food from anyone in the church in Thessalonica. Instead, he put in long hours, working to the point of weariness and pain, so that he could give his teachings to everyone free of charge.

Certainly, Paul is not claiming that those who proclaim the Gospel message should do so without pay. In fact, in addition to the verses referenced above, he teaches just the opposite in Galatians 6:6 and in 1 Timothy 5:17, 18. We who receive sound doctrinal teaching should be willing to support those who labor hard to accurately proclaim God’s truth. In this passage, however, Paul was making a point that he has behaved above reproach in performing his ministry.

 

Application

Does your preacher declare the truth of God’s word week-in and week-out? Doing so takes hard work and dedication. Does he receive the appropriate recognition and reward from the church? Even a hand-written note of thanks helps.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 2:9 – Hard Labor

Posted on by Will

For you recall, brothers, our labor and hard work; laboring night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

Truth to Learn

Serving God sometimes requires hard work.

 

Behind the Words

“Labor” is translated from the Greek word kopos, which literally means “to strike or hit something.” Throughout the New Testament it is used figuratively to refer to “wearisome effort, or labor.”

The words “hard work” are from mochthos, which refers to “difficult labor.” It refers to a type of work which is greater in effort and difficulty than kopos; that is, the kind of work which produces fatigue because of how hard the work is.

“Laboring” is translated from ergadzomai, which is based on ergon, meaning “work.” Ergadzomai is a generic term for work or labor of any kind.

Nux is the Greek word for “night” and hemera is the Greek word for “day.” They are both expressed in the genitive case, so we could translate this as “by night and by day.” The implication is that they started their ministry early in the morning (probably before dawn) and worked until after dark.

The word “burden” is translated from epibareō, which is made up of epi, meaning “on” or “upon” and the verb bareō (from baros, meaning “a weight” or “a burden”). Thus, we see that epibareō means “to lay a heavy burden on someone” or “to be burdensome to others.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul told the Christians in the church in Thessalonica that he and his companions nurtured and cared for the people there like loving parents care for their dearly beloved children. He is telling them now how hard they worked for the sake of these young Christians. They put a lot of effort into not being burdensome to the church in Thessalonica. In his later letter to the Thessalonians, Paul explained this further, saying:

nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hard working night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves a model for you, so that you would follow our example. (2 Thessalonians 3:8-9)

We learn from Paul’s letter to the Philippians that they provided financial support to Paul and his co-workers while they were in Thessalonica.

… no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my necessities. (Philippians 4:15b-16)

We also know from Acts 18:3 that Paul worked as a tentmaker while he was in Corinth. It is quite likely that he also performed that trade while in Thessalonica to help cover some of his financial needs.

 

Application

Serving God is hard work and it sometimes requires hard work not directly related to our ministry. When you stand before God, will He be pleased with how hard you worked to serve Him? We can all learn a lesson from Paul’s efforts.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 1:3 – Hang In There!

Posted on by Will

Constantly remembering your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,

Truth to Learn

The Christian life requires hard work and patience.

 

Behind the Words

“Constantly” is translated from adialeiptōs, made up of a, meaning “without,” dia, meaning “through” or “between,” and a form of the verb leipō, meaning “to leave.” Thus, adialeiptōs literally means “without leaving space between.” In other words, it means doing something without pausing or stopping, that is, constantly.

Ergon is the Greek word translated “work.” It refers to “toil, labor, or work.” It doesn’t necessarily refer to “hard work,” but any kind of work, any act, or any deed performed.

The word “labor” is from the Greek word kopos, which is derived from the verb koptō, meaning “to cut” or “to beat on one’s chest in grief.” Kopos refers to the pain of toil or hard work. By analogy it refers to wearisome labor.

“Patience” is from the word hupomonē, which is made up of hupo, meaning “under” or “beneath” and a form of the verb menō, meaning “to remain” or “to stay in place.” It is a picture of a beast of burden remaining under a heavy load instead of shaking it off. Therefore, it carries the meaning of being steadfast or patient.

“Hope” is from elpidos, which means more than just a wish. It implies a desire for some good thing with the full expectation that it will come to pass.

 

Meaning Explained

Yesterday we learned that Paul and his partners were persistent in praying for the people to whom they had been ministering. They cared so much for the Thessalonians that they prayed for them regularly. Here we learn that the prayers weren’t for God to help the Thessalonians; Paul and his companions gave praise to God for the way they lived-out their faith.

In their prayers they remembered and praised the work of faith that the Christians in Thessalonica were engaged in. Being a committed Christian is not easy. It involves persistence because our work of spreading the gospel and building up our fellow Christians is constantly under attack from those who oppose us. The members of the church in Thessalonica apparently were undaunted in their efforts. Paul referred to it as both a work of faith and labor of love. Note the distinction between work of faith (our works will follow us into heaven where we will get rewards for them) and the labor of love (in heaven we will have rest from our hard labor).

Paul also praised the Thessalonians for their patience. The Greek word hupomonē is a very descriptive word. Remaining steadfast in our faith is difficult at times because we can’t see God, we can’t feel His hand of comfort, and we can’t hear His words of encouragement except by faith. But in spite of that, we have a hope (a firm expectation) that we will be eternally in His presence one day, and that helps us remain under the load.

 

Application

Be steadfast and patient in your good deeds and hard labor for God. He sees all that you do, and He will reward you for everything you do to bring Him glory. Hang in there! You will receive the rewards of your labor one day.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:28 – Give or Take

Posted on by Will

The one stealing, let him steal no more, but rather let him labor, working what is good with his own hands, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Truth to Learn

Overcome the problem of stealing by giving to others.

 

Behind the Words

The words “stealing” and “steal” are from kleptō, from which we get our English word, kleptomaniac. It means “to take something that belongs to someone else without permission or legal right.”

“Labor” is translated from the Greek verb kopiatō, which basically means “to feel fatigue, especially from hard labor.”

“Working” is from ergadzomai, meaning “to be engaged in labor.” It usually refers to a specific trade or profession.

“Good” is from agathos, which refers to “the general characteristic of goodness or usefulness.”

The word translated “hands” is cheir, which originally meant the entire arm from the shoulder to the end of the fingers. Later, it referred only to the hand.

 “Give” is translated from metadidōmi, which is made up of two words. The first is meta, indicating accompaniment (being with someone or something). It is different from sun, which implies a joining or a union between people or things, whereas meta implies simply being in the presence of someone or something. The other word is didōmi, meaning “to give.” Thus metadidōmi implies sharing something with those around you.

 

Meaning Explained

Back in verse seventeen Paul began teaching us how we are to behave as members of the body of Christ. First, he told us not to behave like the Gentiles who do not believe in God. Then, in verse twenty-two he began giving us guidelines on what our behavior should look like. We are to take off our sin nature and put on the new nature which God created for us. One of the characteristics of taking off the old man and putting on the new man is to stop lying and to tell the truth instead. Other characteristics of putting on the new man are getting angry for the right reasons and not letting anger last, leading you into sin.

Now he teaches us another characteristic of putting on our new nature. Literally, the Greek reads, “Let the one stealing, steal no more …” Not every Christian has an obvious problem with stealing any more than every Christian has an obvious problem with anger. We all have issues with these things to some degree, but some of us have an especially severe case of one or more of these. Some people have little respect for the property of others and take whatever they can, even though it doesn’t belong to them. Paul is speaking directly to these people, telling us that the solution is to create things ourselves that we can share with those who have greater needs than we do.

There are many excuses for stealing, from feeling like we deserve to have something more than someone else to simply wanting something and believing the owner doesn’t need it or won’t miss it. Whatever the excuse, Paul says, “Stop doing it!”

 

Application

If you have a problem with “borrowing” things from others (with no intention of returning them), you need to develop the habit of giving things to others who have less than you or giving your time to help the less fortunate. Can you do that?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 3:8 – Unity and Individuality

Posted on by Will

Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Truth to Learn

The work of ministry is a team effort, but the rewards given will be based on individual effort.

Behind the Words

“One” is translated from the Greek word heis, meaning the number “one.” It is written here in the neuter person, just like the word ti in verse seven, further supporting the use of ti in verse five.

“Each one” is from the Greek word hekastos (from hekas, meaning “separate”). It refers to “each one” or to “everyone.” In the case of “everyone,” it implies specific application to each one separately, not to the group as a whole.

The words “will receive” are from lambanō, which means “to take” or “to receive.” It is expressed in the future tense, indicating action that will take place sometime in the future.

Misthos is the word translated “reward.” It refers to “wages” or “a reward” that is given as payment for work done.

The words “according to” are from the Greek word kata. The primary meaning of this word is “down.” When used metaphorically, as it is here, it expresses the relationship of one thing with respect to another. In this sense it means “according to,” “in comparison to,” or “with respect to.”

“Labor” is from the word kopos, based on the word koptō, meaning “to strike,” “to hit,” or “to cut.” It refers to “wearisome or painful effort” or “hard work.”

Meaning Explained

In the agricultural metaphor that Paul has been using, he has shown that the work of the gospel involves both planting of seeds (evangelism) and nourishing of the spiritual plants that have sprung up from the seeds (preaching and teaching). Because of the divisions that had sprung up in the church at Corinth, Paul is making a strong point that all of those who labor for God are one unit. They are not divided, working in competition with each other, but working together as members of the same team.

In the upcoming verses, he will switch from an agriculture metaphor to that of constructing a building. In both of these, Paul clearly shows that the work of ministry is a combined effort, requiring hard work on the part of many people. Each person has their part of the job to do for a common objective. Each person has his or her work to do according to the gifts that God has given them to work with, but there is a unity of purpose for all.

Now, lest we get lazy and assume that the work of the ministry will get done whether or not we do our part, Paul declares a significant truth. Each one of us will be paid (rewarded) for the work that we do individually. Later, Paul will show that our payment will depend on the quality and focus of our labor; here he states that we each have our own assignment and we need to be doing the work assigned us by the Master.

Application

In any church today, eighty percent of the work is performed by twenty percent of the people. However, those who faithfully do the work assigned to them will receive the reward promised to them, while those who are not working will receive nothing.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

2 Thessalonians 3:8 – A Servant Above Reproach

Posted on by Will

nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,

Truth to Learn

The Apostle Paul behaved above reproach in his ministry.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “free of charge” is dōrean, which is based on dōron, meaning “a gift.” Hence, dōrean means “as a free gift.”

“Worked” is translated from ergadzomai, which is a form of ergon, meaning “work.” Ergadzomai means “to be engaged in work or labor, usually as a regular trade.”

Kopos is the word translated “labor.” Its base meaning is “to cut,” but it is used to refer to “hard labor which produces weariness.”

The word “toil” in translated from mochthos, which refers to “painful labor.”

“Burden” is from the Greek verb epibareō. This is composed of epi, meaning “on” or “upon,” used here as an intensifier and bareō, meaning “to weigh down with a heavy burden.” Thus, epibareō means “to place a heavy burden on someone.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about those in the church who are disorderly, especially those teachers who had come into the church in Thessalonica and had taught them erroneous truths about the Day of the Lord. In order to demonstrate his own commitment to God and to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul is explaining to them how he, Timothy, and Sylvanus (Silas) had behaved while they ministered to the saints there.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he explained at length why ministers of the gospel have a right to expect to be supported by those to whom they minister (see 1 Corinthians 9:1-27). Also, from Acts 18:2, 3 we learn that Paul was a tentmaker by trade and worked in that occupation to support himself while he was also working full-time as a preacher of the gospel. Apparently, this was his practice wherever he went so as not to be a burden to those who received his teaching.

In today’s verse we again see how hard Paul worked (apparently both as a preacher and a tentmaker) in order to deliver the Gospel message. Here he reminds the Thessalonians that he did not receive free food from anyone in the church in Thessalonica. Instead, he put in long hours, working to the point of weariness and pain, so that he could give his teachings to everyone free of charge.

Certainly, Paul is not claiming that those who proclaim the Gospel message should do so without pay. In fact, in addition to the verses referenced above, he teaches just the opposite in Galatians 6:6 and in 1 Timothy 5:17, 18. We who receive sound doctrinal teaching should be willing to support those who labor hard to accurately proclaim God’s truth. In this passage, however, Paul was making a point that he has behaved above reproach in performing his ministry.

Application

Does your preacher declare the truth of God’s word week-in and week-out? Doing so takes hard work and dedication. Does he receive the appropriate recognition and reward from the church? Even a hand-written note of thanks helps.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

 

1 Thessalonians 5:12 – Encouragement and Prayer

Posted on by Will

And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

Truth to Learn

Pastors have a tough job. Encourage and pray for him today.

Behind the Words

The word translated “we urge” is erōtaō, which literally means “to interrogate.” By implication, however, it means “to request” or “to urge.”

“Recognize” is from the Greek word eidō, which means “to see with perception and comprehension.” Therefore, it takes on the meaning of “to know, to comprehend, or to recognize.”

Kopiaō is the word translated “labor.” It literally means “to feel fatigue” and by implication it means “to work hard.”

The words “are over you” are translated from the Greek verb proistēmi. This word is made up of pro, meaning “before” or “in front of” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Thus, proistēmi means “to stand before” or “to stand in front of.” By analogy, this word refers to someone who “leads.”

“Admonish” is from the word noutheteō, which is made up of nous, meaning “the mind” or “the intellect” and tithēmi, meaning “to put” or “to place.” Noutheteō literally means “to put in mind” or “to caution or reprove.”

Meaning Explained

The Apostle Paul now changes the topic of his teaching to how we are to think about our spiritual leader(s). The grammatical form of this verse indicates that these leaders are characterized by three things. The first is that they work hard. The second characteristic is that they “are over you.” And, the third thing is that they “admonish” you. It’s fairly obvious that Paul is talking about your pastor(s). Let’s look at these three things.

Most of us have jobs that require us to work five days a week, with the weekend off. The job of a pastor, however, is one that requires effort seven days a week. Yes, I know, many pastors take Monday off to recuperate from a very full Sunday (often twelve or more hours). But, even on his day off, your pastor is often contacted by a church member needing spiritual guidance or emotional support. Like a surgeon, your pastor is on-call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Six days a week your pastor is studying and preparing sermons (often several a week), visiting families with spiritual/financial/physical needs, and preparing for/conducting meetings. He’s a busy man.

The second thing about your pastor is that he has been placed in a position of authority over you. He is directly accountable to God for your spiritual wellbeing. It is his job to open up the Scriptures and teach you what God expects from you. Remember, we are to submit to all those in authority over us.

The third thing a good pastor does is “admonish” you. This means that he has to deliver encouragement and challenge, but it also means he has to deliver the harsh truth about sin and its consequences. I firmly believe that if you aren’t getting your toes stomped on occasionally, either your pastor isn’t doing his job or you just aren’t listening to him and to God.

Application

Don’t wait for pastor appreciation week. Take some time right now to send an e-mail, a text message, or a letter to your pastor. Tell him how much you appreciate him and pray for him. He needs your encouragement and your prayers!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 2:9 – Hard Labor

Posted on by Will

For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

Truth to Learn

Serving God sometimes requires hard work.

Behind the Words

“Labor” is translated from the Greek word kopos, which literally means “to strike or hit something.” Throughout the New Testament it is used figuratively to refer to “wearisome effort, or labor.”

The word “toil” is from mochthos, which refers to “difficult labor.” It refers to a type of work which is greater in effort and difficulty than kopos; that is, the kind of work which produces fatigue because of how hard the work is.

“Laboring” is translated from ergadzomai, which is based on ergon, meaning “work.” Ergadzomai is a generic term for work or labor of any kind.

Nux is the Greek word for “night” and hemera is the Greek word for “day.” They are both expressed in the genitive case, so we could translate this as “by night and by day.” The implication is that they started their ministry early in the morning (probably before dawn) and worked until after dark.

The word “burden” is translated from epibareō, which is made up of epi, meaning “on” or “upon” and the verb bareō (from baros, meaning “a weight” or “a burden”). Thus, we see that epibareō means “to lay a heavy burden on someone” or “to be burdensome to others.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul told the Christians in the church in Thessalonica that he and his companions nurtured and cared for the people there like loving parents care for their dearly beloved children. He is telling them now how hard they worked for the sake of these young Christians. They put a lot of effort into not being burdensome to the church in Thessalonica. In his later letter to the Thessalonians, Paul explained this further, saying:

… nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. (2 Thessalonians 3:7b-9)

We learn from Paul’s letter to the Philippians that they provided financial support to Paul and his co-workers while they were in Thessalonica.

… no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. (Philippians 4:15b-16)

We also know from Acts 18:3 that Paul worked as a tentmaker while he was in Corinth. It is quite likely that he also performed that trade while in Thessalonica to help cover some of his financial needs.

Application

Serving God is hard work and it sometimes requires hard work not directly related to our ministry. When you stand before God, will He be pleased with how hard you worked to serve Him? We can all learn a lesson from Paul’s efforts.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 1:3 – Hang In There!

Posted on by Will

remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

Truth to Learn

The Christian life requires hard work and patience.

Behind the Words

“Without ceasing” is translated from adialeiptōs, made up of a, meaning “without,” dia, meaning “through” or “between,” and a form of the verb leipō, meaning “to leave.” Thus, adialeiptōs literally means “without leaving space between.” In other words, it means doing something without pausing or stopping.

Ergon is the Greek word translated “work.” It refers to “toil labor, or work.” It doesn’t necessarily refer to “hard work,” but any kind of work, any act, or any deed performed.

The word “labor” is from the Greek word kopos, which is derived from the verb koptō, meaning “to cut” or “to beat on one’s chest in grief.” Kopos refers to the pain of toil or hard work. By analogy it refers to wearisome labor.

“Patience” is from the word hupomonē, which is made up of hupo, meaning “under” or “beneath” and a form of the verb menō, meaning “to remain” or “to stay in place.” It is a picture of a beast of burden remaining under a heavy load instead of shaking it off. Therefore, it carries the meaning of being steadfast or patient.

“Hope” is from elpidos, which means more than just a wish. It implies a desire for some good thing with the full expectation that it will come to pass.

Meaning Explained

Yesterday we learned that Paul and his partners were persistent in praying for the people to whom they had been ministering. They cared so much for the Thessalonians that they prayed for them regularly. Here we learn that the prayers weren’t for God to help the Thessalonians; Paul and his companions gave praise to God for the way they lived-out their faith.

In their prayers they remembered and praised the work of faith that the Christians in Thessalonica were engaged in. Being a committed Christian is not easy. It involves persistence because our work of spreading the gospel and building up our fellow Christians is constantly under attack from those who oppose us. The members of the church in Thessalonica apparently were undaunted in their efforts. Paul referred to it as both a work of faith and labor of love. Note the distinction between work of faith (our works will follow us into heaven where we will get rewards for them) and the labor of love (in heaven we will have rest from our hard labor).

Paul also praised the Thessalonians for their patience. The Greek word hupomonē is a very descriptive word. Remaining steadfast in our faith is difficult at times because we can’t see God, we can’t feel His hand of comfort, and we can't hear His words of encouragement except by faith. But in spite of that we have a hope (a firm expectation) that we will be eternally in His presence one day, and that helps us remain under the load.

Application

Be steadfast and patient in your good deeds and hard labor for God. He sees all that you do, and He will reward you for everything you do to bring Him glory. Hang in there! You will receive the rewards of your labor one day.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:28 – Give or Take

Posted on by Will

Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Truth to Learn

Overcome the problem of stealing by giving to others.

Behind the Words

The words “stole” and “steal” are from kleptō, from which we get our English word, kleptomaniac. It means “to take something that belongs to someone else without permission or legal right.”

“Labor” is translated from the Greek verb kopiatō, which basically means “to feel fatigue, especially from hard labor.”

“Working” is from ergadzomai, meaning “to be engaged in labor.” It usually refers to a specific trade or profession.

The word translated “hands” is cheir, which originally meant the entire arm from the shoulder to the end of the fingers. Later, it referred only to the hand.

“Good” is from agathos, which refers to “the general characteristic of goodness or usefulness.”

“Give” is translated from metadidōmi, which is made up of two words. The first is meta, indicating accompaniment (being with someone or something). It is different from sun, which implies a joining or a union between people or things, whereas meta implies simply being in the presence of someone or something. The other word is didōmi, meaning “to give.” Thus metadidōmi implies sharing something with those around you.

Meaning Explained

Back in verse seventeen Paul began teaching us how we are to behave as members of the body of Christ. First, he told us not to behave like the Gentiles who do not believe in God. Then, in verse twenty-two he began giving us guidelines on what our behavior should look like. We are to take off our sin nature and put on our new nature that God created for us. One of the characteristics of taking off the old man and putting on the new man is to stop lying and tell the truth instead. Other characteristics of putting on the new man are getting angry for the right reasons and not letting anger last, leading you into sin.

Now he teaches us another characteristic of putting on our new nature. Literally, the Greek reads, “Let the one stealing, steal no more …” Not every Christian has an obvious problem with stealing any more than every Christian has an obvious problem with anger. We all have issues with these things to some degree, but some of us have an especially severe case of one or more of these. Some people have little respect for the property of others and take whatever they can, even though it doesn’t belong to them. Paul is speaking directly to these people, telling us that the solution is to create things ourselves that we can share with those who have greater needs than we do.

There are many excuses for stealing, from feeling like we deserve to have something more than someone else to simply wanting something and believing the owner doesn’t need it or won’t miss it. Whatever the excuse, Paul says, “Stop doing it!”

Application

If you have a problem with “borrowing” things from others (with no intention of returning them), you need to develop the habit of giving things to others who have less than you or giving your time to help the less fortunate. Can you do that?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.