October 11, 2019
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to 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.
This seems like an oxymoron: ambition…. quiet life. Usually ambitious people are loud and pushy. Eugene Peterson translates this phrase with two words: "stay calm." We the people of faith make it a goal to "stay calm" in life. The world's way is splashy, self-centered, pulling your own strings and looking for ways to stand out. We have a choice in pathways, our choice makes for dramatic end results. "Work with hands" for the most part, the Greeks despised manual labor. Most of the work was done by slaves. Paul of course, was a tentmaker; and he was careful to set the example of hard work.
Unfortunately, some of the new believers in the church misunderstood the doctrine of Christ's return and gave up their jobs in order to wait for his coming. So, they walked up to the mountain top, unfolded their Coleman chairs, sipped their lemonade and sprayed mosquito repellent on as they waited. This meant when they came down from the mountain top, they didn't have jobs. Subsequently they lost their testimony with unbelievers.
Work is a blessing from God. Work is not a curse. God gave Adam work to do in paradise. It is the toil and sweat of work that belongs to the curse and not the work itself. Find your passion and get paid doing it. The goal is to be a good testimony to the people in our community. Pay your bills and don't gossip or be a busybody, don't meddle in the affairs of others.
Pretty straight forward guidance from the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment