• 帖撒罗尼迦前书 4:11-12

要立志过安静的生活，管自己的事，亲手做工，正如我们从前吩咐你们的，好使你们的行为能得外人的尊敬，同时也不依赖任何人。

• 雅各书 2:15-17

若是弟兄或是姊妹没有衣服穿，又缺少日用的饮食；你们中间有人对他们说：“平平安安地去吧！愿你们穿得暖，吃得饱”，却不给他们身体所需要的，这有什么益处呢？信心也是这样，若没有行为是死的。

我们常常忘记像帖撒罗尼迦前书4:11-12之类的经文。我们努力自食其力，不是为了看不起别人，或为了拒绝帮助别人，也不是为了避免自己有求于人。我们要自食其力，是因为这样一来，我们就有能力帮助他人并赢得他们的尊重，从而有机会和他们分享上帝的特大好消息。没有人会尊敬一个懒惰的人。当我们让人看到我们辛勤工作，决不放弃时，我们就会赢得尊重。做一个勤奋的人吧。

• 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

• James 2:15-17

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Too often we forget passages like this – we don’t strive to be independent so we can look down on others, not provide help for them, or not seek help ourselves. We do so that we can be in a position to help others and earn their respect so that we have the chance to offer them the Great News we have. No one honors a lazy person. We earn respect when we show that we are hard workers that never quit. Be a hard worker.

想想你过去的一周——你生活中有哪些方面按照帖撒罗尼迦前书4:11-12去做了？你还有哪些方面可以改进？你的下一周又会有什么不同？

Think about your past week – what were ways that you lived according to this passage? What were some ways you could’ve improved? How can your next week be different?