HIGHLIGHT
2 Thessalonians 3:7 (ESV): 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,
EXPLAIN
Paul was closing this letter to the church, and did so warning them to keep away from any brother who was being idle.
Apparently, due to anticipation of the second coming, some in Thessalonica church stopped working and doing anything useful to wait for Christ to appear.
Paul condemned this, and gave as an example his own life how that he worked night and day not to be a burden to the church, even though he could have insisted on the church to support him.
APPLY
A key principle in disciple-making is that we should not only imitate or follow the words of Jesus, but we should also follow the ways of Jesus.
It is not enough to know correct doctrine; we must live out our faith in imitation of Jesus.
RESPOND
Heavenly Father, help me as a disciple of Jesus to follow both his words and his ways, his teachings and his methods. Amen.