Paul's Example Is Our Pattern

Reading

2 Thessalonians 3:7–9

 

7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
8 Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
9 Not because we have not power, but because we would make ourselves an ensample to you, to follow us.

Discussion

After telling the brethren of the Thessalonian church to withdraw themselves from brethren who walk disorderly among them, Paul continues with his own example ("ensample").  

He hadn't been "disorderly" — drifting, shirking responsibilities, living off others. He and his fellow workers had labored day and night and paid their own way, even though, as he says plainly, they had every right not to. The word "power" here means authority: Paul could have accepted financial support without apology. But he didn't. He chose the harder road on purpose, so the church would have a pattern to follow.

That's the heart of it. Paul's example wasn't performance; it was discipleship in a visible form. He worked hard — not to earn points from God, but to model a life shaped by the gospel.

By extension, we're called to the same. People watch the way we handle our responsibilities, the way we carry ourselves at work, the way we treat those who serve us. Those things either commend the Gospel or they don't. Let's be the kind of believers whose daily habits point others toward Christ.

Prayer

Dear LORD, forgive us when we don't always live as we talk. Thank You for the example Paul gave us. Grant us the grace to live with the same kind of caring heart, so that our lives may be used by You to open doors for the Gospel rather than closing them. 

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Created and refined by JerryS on April 18, 2026 using digital tools. Concept, writing, editing, and formatting by JerryS. For conservative Christian devotional purposes only. All Bible references are from the King James Bible unless otherwise noted.