1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 — The 8th Day of Thessmas!

READ THIS: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 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, 11 and to 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, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

I can be pretty bad about minding my own business... I love knowing what's going on with other people! When one of my friends is texting someone, I really wanna peek over their shoulder and see what's up. When I think I hear my name in someone's conversation, I am all ears. When I hear strangers talking about something super interesting, there's a not-so-small part of me that wants to know what's going on.

In this passage, Paul is talking about our call from God to love each other. Paul says the Thessalonians have been doing a great job, but they need to keep it up (remember "more and more" from yesterday?). The way he tells the Thessalonians how to keep it up is interesting: "lead a quiet life" and "mind your own business." Huh? How are we supposed to love others if we are caught up minding our own business instead? Let's think about the original context!

Thessalonica was a city that was very rich, very populated, and very busy. There were also many wealthy people in the city, and people in the city were very focused on how they were viewed by others. People wanted to be known, powerful, and celebrated. People were also very focused on how those around them were viewed.
 
NOW, think about what it could mean to "lead a quiet life" and "mind your own business." Paul wanted the Thessalonians to look different than the rest of the people in the city! By looking different and standing out in how they lived, people would not only respect them, but ask them questions... and what a cool chance that would be to share Jesus and His love!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. What does it look like to live a quiet life today? How can you love those around you while living quietly?

2. How can living different than those around you point people to Jesus?

TRY THIS:
 
Think about at least one part of your answer to number 1, and try and practice doing that today! See if those around you can tell the difference, and if they ask about it, tell them about Jesus!

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 31, 2023 at 6:57 AM

    I think it’s little things, like putting up your neighbors trash cans because you know they are working. Or putting a card in their mailbox if you know someone is sick-you can sign it with something like,
    “Jesus loves you and so do I!”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 31, 2023 at 9:26 AM

      Those are GREAT examples!! Thank you for sharing! - Liz and Dan

      Delete

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