We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. (2 Thess. 3:11)

In our society today it is easy to overschedule and yet accomplish nothing. Our culture often sets the expectation that your kids should be involved in everything to make them “well rounded,” you need to follow your passions and desires, and you need to make a difference in your community. None of these things are bad, but when we look to the world to set our pace, we have to realize that things may not end well. My grandmother always said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no, but don’t say yes to everything.” The world around us is not supposed to set our pace or influence our decisions, but they do, and the Thessalonians faced the same struggle.

In the last part of this letter, Paul addressed a very specific issue. He had talked with the Thessalonians before about idleness and not doing their part, but within their society, this was a way of life. The young church in Thessalonica struggled to get past their old ways, and Paul was calling them out in love and encouraging them to change.

Choosing to be different, to live set apart, is hard. However, when we commit to doing good and doing our part as believers, we find ourselves in the middle of where God wants us.

Ask God what to say yes and no to in your everyday.

Maggie Slusher is a young pastor who is passionate about transformational spiritual formation—at every age and season in life. She takes any chance to get outdoors.

© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.