"And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." I Thessalonians 4:11,12
So many things to think about...
So many things to think about...
1. be quiet---haha! oh, okay Lord. I'll shut my pie hole. And study quietness? Focus, knowledge, think, watch....don't be distracted from it. Maybe I have better things to do today Lord--more profitable things--instead of mindless chatter with friends.
2. do your own business--not my friend's business, not my child's schoolwork or responsibilities. I will focus on my own work in my own home.
3. work with your own hands--sometimes I ask others to do something that I could very well do myself....umm...I'm not pregnant or sick...so maybe I'm just lazy. I need to serve my family. I need to get up out of my chair and take care of things. That always feels good.
4. as we commanded you--not a "could you" or a "maybe if you have time" but a real, bona fide command. Consider it done Lord. I want to be obedient to your will in my life.
5. that ye may walk honestly to them that are without--I am calmly confident that I am obeying you, Lord and not serving myself. When I present myself to the world outside, I know I am actually doing what I say I do...and what people believe me to be doing--because I am a Christian. A follower of Christ. I am who I say I am. Not a fake or a cheater.
6. that ye may have lack of nothing--God has promised me, in the Bible, to take care of my needs (not my wants!) because He loves me and wants me to have faith and trust in Him. Aaannnddd I need to do things for myself. Nobody sits at the edge of an orchard whose trees are loaded with apples and starves to death. I hope not!
Paul wrote this to the Christians in Thessalonica. These people were terrified to be known as Christians because it really meant they would be persecuted-from the mild to the extreme: execution.
I am a United States citizen by birth. I have the freedom to speak and believe what I want. I have no fear that the government will persecute me or storm my home at night and haul my family off to prison or execute me for my beliefs. So, the task before me is not hard or too much to ask. God commanded the Thessalonians to do this. He promised them, as He promises me today, that they would not lack for anything.
That's a big promise.
I know it's easy for me to say that this is not too hard or too much to ask of myself...
but if you, my dear reader, live in a country where you will be persecuted for your belief in God; God loves you and He IS bigger than any man or government. If it's you and God vs your government, then guess what? You win. You and God make a majority.
A former Pastor of mine used to say; "Don't try to box with God, His arms are longer than yours."
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