Warn Those who are Idle

1 Thessalonians 5:14

As a follow-up to that last post about the importance of work, Paul instructs the Thessalonians to “warn those who are idle.” Again, this seemed to be a common problem for them, and Paul is stressing the importance of work. I don' t think that this is a critique of legitimate vacation time, of time to rest from work. I think it refers who are always on vacation. Perhaps an interesting question would be to consider those who have retired from a career. What kind of work can you be doing? When my dad retired, he said he never knew there were so many jobs to do and not get paid for. But certainly there are those who retire and consider themselves done with work and service for others. This might be a call to action for those people. Don't be idle. Even if you are no longer pursuing a career, the Bible never mentions (in my knowledge) a time when you are excused from work in general, particularly in the sense of service for other people.