day no. 17,265: good doctrine and good, hard work

"What is the apostolic tradition? Work hard. Show up on time. Don’t call in sick when you aren’t. Don’t be a malingerer. In short, the apostolic tradition is not esoteric at all. Change your oil every three thousand miles. Rotate your tires.” — Douglas Wilson, Mines of Difficulty

There are few things more practical than orthodoxy. Orthopraxy is secondary to orthodoxy necessarily and in that order. Good works must follow good doctrine. They must come second as a matter of priority, but they must come after as a matter of sincerity. True faith produces real works. And what could be more practical than getting up in the morning and getting to work?

2 Thessalonians 3:6-8

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; 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:

The apostles brought the word of truth and reasoned with people regarding proper doctrine, but they did this while the behaved themselves well and conducted themselves as proper me who knew how to be value adders. They lived in such a way as to carry their own load so as to complement their message. They qualified themselves as men believed a doctrine of Christ carrying our yoke by being men who were able to help others with theirs.