Goals For Everyday Living

Commentary

Paul gives three principles for everyday living that should become goals for our life (v. 11):
Lead a restful life – Quiet is the opposite of restless. Christians, in their zeal, sometimes attempt to do too many things. It is possible to attempt so much that we cannot do anything the way it should be done.Mind our own business – We can be sure that those who meddle in other people’s business will wreck their own. If we take care of our own affairs we will have little time to meddle in the affairs of others.Be self-supporting – This is the opposite of having an attitude that the world owes us a living.  History reveals that the Greeks hated manual labor and got slaves to do as much of it as possible. However, the Jews were hard workers and every Jewish boy was taught a trade. Paul is discouraging the Thessalonians from expecting financial favors from the brethren.It seems that some of these Thessalonian believers misunderstood the doctrine of Christ’s return and gave up their jobs in order to wait for His coming. This meant that they did not have enough money to support their own families and had to be supported by other Christians. Paul made it clear that he did not want these fanatics to take advantage of their brothers and sisters in Christ (v. 12). It states that you may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that you won’t have to depend on anyone. Then you will be respected by those who are not followers of the Lord.

Application

Which of the three areas above do I need to work on the most?