Be Still And Know

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others. These are fascinating verses. Paul urged his hearers to strive eagerly to live quiet lives. The Greek literally means “seek restlessly to be still”! What on earth was he getting at? I believe he was saying that he wanted the Thessalonian Christians to have a quiet confidence as they threw themselves enthusiastically into their daily work. He wanted them to find peace in getting on with doing whatever the Lord had called them to do. It is clear that some people in the church had given up their jobs because they believed that the Lord might return at any moment. Paul was not at all happy with this. He urged them to get on with their work. He referred to them working with their hands, which suggests that the church was made up of slaves and manual labo