The Quiet Life

Passage: 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.

Over the course of our life together, my wife and I have known quite a number of people who have felt “called” either to the pastorate or the mission field. When they begin to make the transition into professional ministry, many of these people have expressed excitement about now being able to really serve God. The underlying assumption being that there are certain jobs that have greater Kingdom significance than others. For more than a few of the individuals or couples we’ve known, professional ministry hasn’t worked out. They’ve burned out, or dropped out of the training process for personal or financial reasons. For these acquaintances there’s been the suggestion that somehow they’ve failed. That settling into another career and an “ordinary” kind of life means settling for a second-rate calling.

In 1 Thessalonians 4 the Apostle Paul affirms the “ordinary” life as a legitimate - even preferable - Christian calling. He urges members of his church to see their jobs, families, and other commitments as a mission field. He tells them that an important part of ministering effectively is living effectively. Paul says, “Live a life that wins the respect of outsiders.” Live your life in such a way that the people around you take notice. So doing you will invite the question: “What’s your secret? How is it that you live out your commitments and pursue you work with such dedication? How is it that your relationships seem to work out right? That you continue to give your all to your job, year after year?” Let your quiet life be an invitation for others to encounter the Gospel at work.