Good weekend to you dear “Walking with Jesus” friends,
How important is a strong work ethic to you as you look around your society? If you’ve been an employer or a supervisor, or even an athletic coach, how important is self-motivation and hunger to learn new skills? Those are attributes of highly valuable people in any endeavor, any organization, any society, anywhere in the world, am I right? Yet do you see those values are increasingly rare?
As we’ve been with the apostle Paul, he has something to say about that today. In his first letter to the Christians in Macedonia, particularly the city of Thessalonica, Paul has been challenging them with specific instructions about living God honoring lives which will build strong marriage, families, communities and will impact the entire society.
Yesterday we looked closely at Paul’s admonition to high morality and pure sexuality. Paul is dictating, Timothy is scribing as Paul continues in chapter 4 of his letter: “You have been taught by God to love one another. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more…” (1 Thess. 4:9,10)
Paul, it seems, has been careful to choose his words wisely as he has been led by the Holy Spirit to write this letter. Have you noticed His frequent reference to “brothers and sisters”? Christianity celebrates that we who trust Jesus Christ as our Savior are adopted into God’s Family, do you see Paul refers to that in these verses? As a result of that adoption, we are spiritual brothers and sisters with all other members of God’s family in every country around the world!
I’ve just taken a count and I find that Paul uses that phrase “brothers and sisters” no less than 15 times in this one letter! Now because Paul is being led by the Holy Spirit to a write exactly what God wants the Christians in Thessalonica to hear, do you conclude that God is placing a high priority on this concept of God’s family and that they were to love each other and consider each other ‘brothers and sisters’ regardless of their age, or ethnicity, or if they were Jew or Gentile, slave or free, wealthy or poor, educated or uneducated, Roman citizen or not?
Now, if that was true for them, what do you suppose God’s desire is for you and me, wherever we live around the world? So… do you love the other Christians in your city and how do you tangibly show that love, the same love Jesus modeled for us?
Paul next strikes right at an important attribute of God’s people when he writes: “…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (1 Thess. 4:11,12)
Do you see four significant, focused challenges in these two sentences which should be clearly evident in all people, men and women, in every society of the world, who claim to be redeemed followers of Jesus Christ?
First… “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.”
Ambition can be a very good thing; it can motivate us to pursue wonderful objectives. Ambition can also be a path of great pain, both for yourself and for those you trample in your passionate pursuit of your agenda, your fame or your power. Paul is encouraging these new Christians to be people pursuing purpose in life but doing so in a manner which he calls a ‘quiet life’.
The apostle Peter echoes this thought when he writes to Christian women: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles or the wearing of fine jewelry or fine clothes. Rather it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (1 Peter 3:3,4)
We’ve all seen loud, boisterous, sometimes obnoxious people who constantly draw attention to themselves and seem to be unaware of their offensiveness. Usually, they are viewed as unpredictable and volatile people, and most sensible people stay clear of them. Do you see the contrast both Paul and Peter are drawing here as they describe people who lead quiet lives? People like that whom I know are thoughtful, careful, wise, mature and they naturally attract the respect of others. Which are you, my friend?
Second, Paul writes “You should mind your own business…”
Oh my, that really strikes home, doesn’t it? Are gossip and rumors a problem in your community or maybe your church? Do you find yourself keeping your distance from such people or at least being careful NOT to share anything with them that you wouldn’t want spread all over town? Can you and I invite the Holy Spirit to help us be people who are satisfied both keeping confidential information shared with us and not repeating gossip or rumors we’ve heard from others?
Third, do you see Paul challenging these Christians to “work with your own hands… so you will not be dependent on anybody.”
Laziness, slothfulness, assuming others will take care of your needs is a very dangerous trait in a person, isn’t it? Self-motivation, high work ethic, caring for oneself and helping others is a very admirable trait, isn’t it? Paul was writing this letter from Corinth and in Acts. 18:1-3 Luke tells us Paul, after he arrived in Corinth, found Aquila and Priscilla who were tent makers, a trade he also had, and he went to work with them to provide for himself.
You’ll recall in 1 Thess. 2:4 Paul reminded the Thessalonians that in the short three weeks he was in Thessalonica he worked, to provide for his own needs, so he would not be a burden to anyone there. So, look around my friends, do the Christians in your town have a reputation of being hard working, self-sustaining people?
Finally, please notice Paul’s challenge that “…your daily life will win the respect of outsiders.”
When Paul used the word “outsiders” he meant all those who were NOT Christians in Thessalonica, which of course was the vast majority of the people. Are the Christians in your town held in high regard, respected, my friends? Are you and I?
You see my friends, Paul is making a very important point here: God honoring Christians will live their lives in such a respected way, they earn the right to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, people who don’t know the Gospel will invite them to explain why they live such honorable lives.
I can well imagine as Timothy was scribing these words he was listening very carefully and doing a self-evaluation…and I invite each of us, all of us, to do the same. Is Paul describing you and me with these words today? Are some changes needed, my friends?
Let’s not rush beyond these few sentences of Paul’s without some real honest reflection and maybe some prayer, talking about this with Jesus. And for that reason, I’m not leaving you with a song today, but rather, prayer.
Lord Jesus, would You help us to see ourselves the way You see us? And help us see what needs to change is we are going to live God honoring lives…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Thess 4:9-12.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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