For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.
There is an article in the Guardian today about the next American epidemic; Burnout. In the article, the author claims that work has become for many, a god and their self-esteem depends on their career so they pile on the hours. This is sad but it is not what Paul is talking about here if we look at the context. Some Thessalonian Christians had taken to abstaining from work because they awaited the return of Jesus momentarily. There were also charlatans making money by the barrel on false religion in the marketplace. Paul and his companions were bi-vocational missionaries, meaning they worked by day and performed their ministry by night. They did this not because they thought it was the only way to do ministry but because they wanted the church there to know they were serious about the gospel. They would have observed the Sabbath with rest and prayer and gathered together on Sunday for worship.
As I read that article, I saw some things that convicted me. There is nothing wrong with hard work and the Protestant Work Ethic made America the power it is. But there is a problem when the work distracts us from God. Paul worked day and night but never lost sight of his real boss, Jesus Christ. May we seek a balance between hard work and worship of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who went off to rest all through the gospels. If you need rest…
Come to Jesus.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church