Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 135
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as when it came to you. Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked
and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. But the Lord is faithful; he
will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we
commanded you. May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding
and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes
from Christ.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives
and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. For you know that
you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We
never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard
day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had
the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to
follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those
unwilling to work will not get to eat.”
Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and
meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge
them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn
their own living. As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get
tired of doing good.
Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay
away from them so they will be ashamed. Don’t think of them as enemies,
but warn them as you would a brother or sister.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in
every situation. The Lord be with you all.
Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul. I do this in
all my letters to prove they are from me.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
