1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers to do this more, and more, 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.”
There is a lot of disagreement and hatred all around us in our current unsettling times for various reasons. Isn’t it hard to show love or be loving when in a dispute with those closest to us? It is not always a natural inclination not to defend oneself and list off all of our logical points as on an excel spreadsheet, when we feel our worth or values are being ignored, during a heightened climax in a verbal crisis. Our ego maybe overly engaged with our authority. Yet, I was reminded this week that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when confronted by the king for not bowing down to his idol, were not eager or hasty in feeling pressed in defending themselves. They stated and held the conviction that God would protect them. God did protect these three Jewish men better than Nebuchadnezzar could protect his own servants. The lesson here is, do I always give myself time before responding in the heat of the moment? Is my faith in God’s sovereign protection, giving Him the praise and glory, infusing the courage I need to be like these men of example? I admit I tend to over explain my reasoning in my defense of my response in comparison. A better question to ask myself is, how is God pioneering me to grow in irritations of others inefficiencies? Food for thought.
So the challenge to myself is who can I show more love to, as God commanded in the Ten Commandments, and Jesus taught His disciples in the book of John, to those I am in contact with today? Paul complimented the Thessalonians for their love for others which was well known, and admonished them to do so “more and more.” The Amplified Bible states it this way, “For indeed you already do practice it toward all the believers throughout Macedonia [by actively displaying your love and concern for them]. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, that you excel [in this matter] more and more,”
Paul said in verse 11 to “aspire to live quietly.” The word aspire has to do with the thought of ambition towards achieving something ambitiously. The word picture of “quietly” has to do with peacefulness, calmness, rest, and satisfaction. That is such a contrast to our false gods of entertainment – the thrill of the one moment. Relaxation is essential, don’t get me wrong. But sitting quietly before God is vital to hear His voice from what we have read in Scripture and strive to get to know Him better. “There is a great difference between the Christian duty of putting the interests of others first and the busybody’s compulsive itch to put other people right.” F.F. Bruce.
The NIV states 1 Thessalonians 4:12 as, “So that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders.” In order to be a consistent shining light, reciting John 3:16 is not always the first way of evangelism. Having the respect and admiration of others is essential and will often then lead into the conversation of sharing the gospel.
- Love others more and more.
- Ambitiously achieve calmness and peacefulness.
- Work hard.
- Mind your own business.
- Command the respect of others.
- Keep it up!
Listen to Lauren Daigle’s A Place Called Earth (Lyric Video) 2/12/2021 by JonForemanVEVO.