1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 11and to make it your ambition to live quietly and to practice your own things and to work with your hands, just as we instructed you, 12so that you will walk decently toward those one the outside and not have any need.
Verse 11 continues a series of infinitives of what Paul urges the Thessalonians to do: to love one another (verse 9), to abound more (v. 10); and in this verse: to aspire to live quietly , to practice, and to work. These are the actions the Thessalonians could do as part of their growth in holiness. Holiness should always be practical and relational.
To live quietly (hēsychazein) has the sense of a peaceful life or to be at rest. Another way to say this is not to let stress or busyness control us. God’s grace gives us spiritual rest. We can build on this through being peaceful and quiet in our interactions with others. It may be helpful to think about the opposite of being loud and obnoxious. People like this grate on the nerves and cause friction with others. Practice your own things is a broad and open-ended idea that goes goes with the previous idea. The neuter own things (ta idia) has no clear referent and basically includes all the aspects of our living.
To work with your hands speaks of practical living and not being a scrounge off of others. Christians ought to take care of their own needs and not be lazy or rely on government aid. There are times and situations where it is necessary to seek help, such as those with disabilities or if a person loses a job. But holiness should lead us to work hard as if serving the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Use whatever skills, gifts, tools, and resources available to serve God and care for your needs. This is what Paul, Silas, and Timothy taught them. A theology of work calls believers to give their best and care for their needs. God will provide what we need, but we may also need to work hard and do our best to look for his provision.
The purpose for this practical holy lifestyle characterized by self-care and work is to be a good witness to outsiders, referring to non-believers. Lazy Christians who scrounge off of others is not a good witness of the gospel of love. To walk (peripatēte) is Paul’s illustrative for how Christians ought to live (Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12). The adverbial decently (euschēmonōs) refers to proper and appropriate behavior. Believers ought to live in such a way that their lives are testimonies of God’s transformation grace in Christ. This will show up in how they make a living for themselves and their families. Unbelievers are watching. A lazy Christian who relies on others for basic necessities when that person could work and support him or herself is not being a good example of God’s love. Rather, this type of behavior shows selfishness. Paul worked hard to support himself (2:9) and passed this work ethic on to those who discipled.
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