Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, [10] for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, [11] and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, [12] so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. | 1 Thessalonians 4.9-12
I wrote yesterday about how earthly power and influence cannot stop what God is doing in the lives of His people. More than that, nothing that happens around us ever puts us in a place where we are kept from doing what God has called us to. This means that not only is every moment an opportunity for sanctification, but every moment is also a chance for us to bring glory to God and to love one another. Whether you are in a position of power or persecution, you can use you position to serve (Paul gives direction to both authority and the subjected in Ephesians). No matter who you are, no matter what is going on, there are occasions to express your love for God by caring for others.
Once you realize that the charge to love applies no matter what your earthly standing is, you can stop fighting earthly power battles. God is not concerned with our level of power, but what we do with the situation we find ourselves in. Rather than using all of your energy trying to change the situation, you can invest in the situation God has placed you in.
What do we do now that election day has passed? Same thing we should have been doing before: we find ways to bring the love of God into this world through humble living. Paul describes this through 4 imperatives:
1. aspire to live quietly | Christians should live with a spirit of gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5.23), avoiding the meaningless controversies that swirl around them (2 Timothy 2.4). This doesn’t mean that you avoid all trouble, because sometimes it finds you. Christians should not be known for stirring up trouble, but for being people who work for peace.
2. mind your own affairs | Christians should focus on the things that they have been called to. Far too much time is spent criticizing and analyzing others; we waste time that could be spent on practically loving those God has put us in relationship with. By minding our own affairs, we can focus our energy on the things that we can practically do to show the love of God to those around us.
3. work with your hands | Christians should work hard. Living quietly and minding your own business does not mean lacking ambition; instead, with our focus narrowed, we should pour ourselves out on behalf of those God has given us to care for. God has left His people in His world to be the practical means that He uses to bless this world. As Martin Luther famously said: God milks cows through the vocation of the milkmaid. We work hard to use the gifts God has given us to provide His world with what He intends.
4. walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one | Christians should be people of character. We should live in such a way that people who do not agree with us on doctrine still say: that is a fair person. They live a life worth aspiring to. They serve their community well. They have a household that is in order. To de dependent on no one does not mean that we become rugged individualists, but that you make sure that you are a positive contributor rather than a leach on society.
God lays out a blueprint here for a rather boring life. I don’t mean boring in a bad way; this just isn’t the sort of living that movies are made about or that we are led to aspire to. We want to be world changers. We want to join the revolution. We want to be part of a movement that will be remembered. The good news is: we are. When we become part of the family of God, we enter into the earth-tilting story of redemption. We don’t have to prove this through our performance. We need to be simply faithful so that God can do His great work through us. God has promised us that He will change the world through our simple acts of faithfulness.
This is encouraging. So many times, we have grand ambitions and feel like failures. Paul reminds us that because we are engaged in God’s work, it does not fall short:
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. | 1 Corinthians 15:58
Be steadfast, sure that living quiet faithfulness accomplishes all that God intends.