Yes! You are in! Thank you for joining and when worthy, thank you very much for sharing. Extra thanks for Two Tall for that opening hook. Extra thanks to ThursDudesPM for bringing it last week. As for this round, why do you work? Why are we designed to work and contribute? Here's your mic drop, your hammer coming from a letter written to Thesselonica...

We talked about the importance of the Living Word last week. You read it and it reads you. This hit me like hammer this week. Side note, not my first time reading it. I've ready it countless times. Yet that's the Living Word, it can impact you differently at different times in your life. Hence, it's Living.
A reading from 2 Thes 3...
Have you ever noticed that depression and idleness are closely related?
How about addiction and idleness?
Col 3:23
I always feel good after a hard day's work, work out...ministry outreach. It feels good and overflows the heart to serve. To be of value to others.
To be careful, we are not to be workaholics either. Some of us are bad at that too. Resting. We are commanded to Sabbath for balance.
Have you seen a divide in the USA? Do we encourage idleness? Do we give people what they want for our power and votes? Do we encourage their addiction? Last week's reading warned us about helping people stumble. Think about that.
On the flip side, I serve the homeless. Jesus encourages us to serve the poor, Matt 25:40. To take care of orphans and widows. Yet I don't shower and clothe my neighbors on the streets to keep them there. I don't give them pipes nor syringes. I serve to give them Hope. To get them off the streets and into a life of Purpose.
2 Thes 3 is really one of the mic drops for that. An idle society is a miserable society. For those in the States, you enjoy the fruits of that country by those who worked their butts off and sacrificed. If you think I'm trying to play a particular political angle, I also witness immigrants here in the Coachella Valley working their butts off in the hottest of days. Their work ethic blows me away.
Did you know that retirement is not in the Bible? A warning about being a glutton is. God did not just put you on earth to golf, eat and drink. If by chance you are able to retire, good job on your hard work and stewardship. Now you have more time to serve the Lord, his Kingdom and your neighbors.
Clearly, I'm not retired. If I could, I would still love and serve others. Whether you are 20 or 70, this may be your wake up call. The Idle Check Engine light may be on.
Ending on a prayer note...