How does a Christian living in an aggressive world please God? In part, Paul says, by aspiring “to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands” (1 Thess. 4:11). It’s hard to imagine an Apostolic command that is more mundanely practical than this.
We live in a society marked by unrest, controversy, and hostility. More and more the church is feeling the pressure that comes with that. The cultural table isn’t giving Christians a lot of elbow room, and soon we may find ourselves banished from the table altogether. In these times, we need to be careful to understand what God’s will is because there’s a dangerous tendency in our hearts to abandon ourselves to something other than the privileges that belong to us in Jesus Christ.
Paul knew that tendency in the Christian heart. The Thessalonians were a remarkable church. Their lives had been turned around by the ministry of the Word, and they were examples of faith, love, and hope. But their daily routines were also lived in a context of hostility and suffering for the sake of Jesus. That’s why in writing to them, Paul wanted them to know how to honor God. How does a Christian living in an aggressive world please God? In part, Paul says, by aspiring “to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands” (1 Thess. 4:11).
It’s hard to imagine an Apostolic command that is more mundanely practical than this. God’s will for our sanctification is lived out in the ordinary routines and habits of life. But this isn’t easily achieved. That’s why Paul says we should “aspire” to it—to desire very strongly and strive eagerly. One might rephrase Paul and say we are to make it our ambition to live life in this way.
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