1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV) - Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life to mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you so that your daily life will win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (The Message has a good paraphrase for this verse - take a look at www.Biblegateway.com)
OK - confession time. The fist time I read this verse I literally told God, "You've got to be kidding me!" Then I dug in a little deeper and am now trying to live it out for real! I guess the part that I had the hardest time with was the word "quiet". Anyone who knows me knows that quiet is not an adjective that fits! So I had to dig and discovered this is what it means: at rest or at peace. Well doesn't that change everything!!
Now as I look at this verse about a year later, I'm struggling with a couple of other things. First of all the daily part. Living at peace every day is huge. I'm not there yet, but the idea sounds fantastic!!
The other part is the "not be dependent on anybody" part. Hmmm - guess that means that Jesus is supposed to be everything!!! I'm so glad he's up to the task. I thought of this verse the other day. I'm still slowly reviewing my notes from the Beth Moore simulcast. She was talking about the heart of our desires and the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4) One of the things she said was, "Be aware of what is present in the absence." Wouldn't you know my 4-and-a-half year old would give me a great picture of this (God is so good at meeting us right where we're at!).
So, we're eating dinner. Ian doesn't want to eat the spaghetti I made. This was a first. He wanted to eat cheese and crackers. Unfortunately I was in one of my "I'm an exhausted mommy" mode and didn't do battle with this and let him eat cheese and crackers for dinner (cheese is a good source of calcium and protein right?). God immediately brought back to my mind Beth's statement and this verse.
How often we fill our hearts with anything just to have it full. Sometimes it's whatever feels good at that moment; sometimes what looks good; sometimes whatever is convenient or easy or we may even hate it but take it in anyway. How many times have I called my friends about something instead of going to God first. Basically, it's hiding from the fact that we have a desire that isn't met. I'm trying to get an idea of what the world would be like if all of us just admitted that we have unmet desires instead of pretending that we have it all together.
So, here is the question to myself and to you. What are you filling your heart with? Are you quiet and at rest because you're not depending on anyone or anything else but Jesus? If not, what are you going to do to get there?
Please join me in answering these hard questions and letting God strip away (and yes, it will proably hurt some along the way) the stuff that doesn't help you love Him fearlessly. 1Thessalonians 4:11-12 is what we look like when we love fearlessly!
Be bold! Be brave! Be you!
Kim
