Daily Devotion

“Doing business is not drudgery. Just as Paul could make tents for Christ, we can certainly do the same for our Lord.”

Annie Taylor · Gospel Fellowship Association

Scripture

2 Thessalonians 3:8-9 Nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.

Reflection

Paul had the right to receive support from the church, yet he willingly laid it aside, working hard day and night so as not to be a burden to anyone, and setting an example for the believers. Eighteen hundred years later, Annie Taylor kept a small shop on the Tibetan border in Yatung, trading fairly with the Tibetans. She did not consider this a hardship, but rather a way to follow Paul and serve the Lord. It turns out that the gospel is proclaimed not only from the pulpit, but also behind the counter, in honest business and diligent labor. Today, does my work burden others, or does it cause them to see Christ?