Friday 12th May
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
“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.” (NIVUK)
This has always been a comforting passage. Amidst the secret fears that the Christian life involves the kinds of adventures Paul endured through his ministry and that has simply not been my experience an encouragement of this nature allows one to take a breath. The earnestness and zeal that ripples through Paul’s letters is awe-inspiring, but this little pearl of advice, this insight into how ‘regular’ Christians were encouraged to live provides welcome perspective. For unlike Paul, we are not apostles.
What does that advice entail? It is simple advice. There were many philosophers in ancient Greece who would either encourage ambition or mock it as foolish, likewise there were many prejudices (like today) about what constituted respectable employment (public honours) and what was less reputable (manual labour). Paul, tipping his hat to these debates perhaps, urges them to make it their ambition to live quietly! An oxymoron from anyone else… His key piece of advice is to live transparently, productively and carefully. Manual labour is not disreputable in any way if it means that they support themselves (and others). Even less so if it allows them to love others practically and deliberately.
In a (Christian) world that encourages us to be the best version of ourselves and to get out there and save the planet this advice is a soothing balm. Love others, work hard, be transparent and honest and consider others better than yourselves. We still have to wrestle with Paul’s exhortation to imitate him as he imitates Jesus and the standards that requires of us, but the instructions he gave these early believers in Thessalonica must somehow slot in.
We are loved and saved by Jesus, let us give thanks and praise for the work He has done for us.
