1 Thessalonians 5:13-15: And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. [NIV]
Ah, more of those commands from Paul’s pen about what we should be doing to be pleasing to our Father God. We are to warn, encourage, help and be patient with everyone!
Warn those who are idle. Paul admonishes those who can work and won’t work; those who tend toward laziness. (Here the emphasis is on those who are able and have opportunity to work, but just don’t want to do so.) For those he says, if you don’t work, you don’t eat.
But I think also we need to warn those who are idle in their Gospel ministry. We only have so many opportunities in this life to minister the Word of the Lord to others. One day those will be gone.
Encourage the timid. We can’t be timid in sharing the Gospel. We should be wise and heed the direction of God’s Spirit when and what to speak. But timidity, perhaps prompted by fears of rejection, should not be a character trait of believers.
Help the weak. I am often reminded of the words of Isaiah that described the Messiah, “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.”
There are many who are hanging on by a thread, and as believers we need to help them become firm in their faith. [Isa 42:3 NKJV]
