I couldn’t keep quiet early in my faith walk. I’m not talking about talking too much. My ENTIRE LIFE wasn’t quiet when I was a CEO chasing success and all its trappings. That’s why I struggled to understand this from Paul:
“Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your own living, just as we told you before.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11 GNT
But eventually it started to sink in that Paul was talking about the kind of quietness that flows from measured diligence in everything we do.
Paul’s overarching concern in Thessalonica was to see the saints walk in love and exalt Christ in the community for all to see. His goal was to have real Christians living real, transparent, and quiet lives.
And that is exactly what happened. The Thessalonians synchronized their lives with God’s will as it was revealed in Scripture.
But there is more to God’s quietness message in 1 Thessalonians 4:11. He wants us to work and mind our business.
God did not create us to be idle because he knew that those who abandon creative productivity lose the joy of purposeful work. His will is that we work in this way to:
- Provide for our own legitimate needs.
- Provide for those who cannot provide for themselves.
- Provide hope for those who do not know God as we model Christ in our work.
I ask God to help me walk in love and exalt Christ just like the Thessalonians so I can live a real, transparent, and quiet life.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Is your life quiet and animated by purposeful work?
