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Read Introduction to 1 Thessalonians

 

“…that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you…“

 

Certain members of the church at Thessalonica became fanatics, busybodies, and loafers. Paul has a fourfold prescription for these people:

1. Live a calm and orderly life
2. Mind their own business
3. Engage in manual labor
4. Have mannerly conduct

that you also aspire to lead a quiet life,

First, Paul urges the Thessalonians to aspire to a quiet life. “Aspire” comes from one Greek word with two words joined: to be fond of and honor. “Aspire” has the sense of being strongly ambitious about something or applying oneself to something. The Thessalonians were to make every effort to pursue a tranquil life. Apparently, they were bogged down by unscriptural argument and unwarranted criticism. They could channel all this misspent energy into something more advantageous.

Christians should aspire to lead a quiet life. Paul says, “Do everything in your power to lead a quiet life.” Christians should have settled souls, not noisy souls. Noisy souls come from having too much time on our hands.

Principle:

Christians usefully employed tend to more settled souls.

Application:

Christians should not get their liver in a quiver. Turmoil is not of Christ. Tone it down. Why should Christians get exasperated with one another? It does not take much to upset some of us. We fly off the handle very quickly, even at minor things. We major on the minors and minor on the majors.

We get worked up over trivial things. After it is over and we have had time to think about the situation, we say, “How foolish of me to get into a sweat over that! How immature of me to do that!” God has remedies for fretful living.

“Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity” (Psalms 37:1).

A quiet soul does not enter into rivalry with fellow Christians. Christians are not to draw attention to themselves by the ungodly promotion of self. Some people love to let everyone know how important they are among the Christian herd. They establish an apparent pecking order because they must be on top of the herd. All this comes from having too much time on their hands.

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