Many of you that know my family know that my siblings and I had a brother who passed away when he was only 32 years old. It's been almost 36 year 36 years now. It'll be 36 years in November. He was a band director here in the area. He he died of a brain aneurysm while his band was marching and competing in the state marching contest at the UT Memorial Stadium uh in Austin. And it was very very tragic for us obviously very sudden caught us off guard totally. We didn't know he had this uh condition this brain aneurysm.
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But my brother was um like I said he was 32 and he he was very successful as as a band director uh as a teacher. He was two years two years older than me and we were both music teachers. He was a band director. I was a choir director. So we were in college together and even in high school he was uh he was very quiet. Those of you who know him, you knew you know that he was very quiet guy. Uh he was very funny. He kept us always laughing but in a very quiet sort of way. He wasn't loud. He wasn't demonstrative. But in his own quiet way, he he touched a lot of people, affected a lot of people.
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And I remember him in high school when he was our band president. How he led in such a quiet way, but you know, very he made a very big impact on on people. I thought, well, yeah, that's that's my son, my my brother rather. And that's the way he was until the day the Lord called him home. But I'll never forget what she said. I have so much respect for him just from watching him going, coming and going. And I think that's interesting because you and I know that we live in a world where respect is often elusive. People judge quickly and people trust slowly and outsiders.
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When Paul writes here about winning the respect of outsiders, he's talking about those outside the faith. And outsiders often look at us as believers with skepticism. We've all felt it. you know, the weary glances, the dismissive words, the assumption that Christianity is somehow outdated or it's not relevant anymore. And maybe you've experienced this firsthand. Maybe a co-orker or a neighbor or maybe even a family member who doesn't share your faith sees your beliefs as being kind of strange and practical and and they question your integrity. They question your sincerity.
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So how do we bridge this gap? How do we live in such a way that even those outside the faith can respect what they see? Well, Paul answers this question. And in verses 9 and 10, we begin reading in verse 9. 1 Thessalonians 4:9. In in verse 9, Paul tells the Christians in Thessalonica that they were doing well in loving each other. He says, "I don't need to tell you anymore about that because you're doing well when it comes to loving each other. But with outsiders, with those outside the faith, Paul was saying that's where you need help.
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He gives them three powerful ways to win the respect of outsiders. Three actions that work to turn suspicion into admiration. That work to turn doubt into trust and that help to turn skepticism into curiosity about our faith and curiosity. Curiosity about Jesus. Now, I prepare a lot of sermons throughout the year, and uh some sermons just kind of write themselves or just outline themselves, and this is one of them. You know, you don't have to dig too deeply to find the the enduring principles in verse 11.
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Paul's use of the word quiet here can be tricky to translate because it often means staying silent. just being restful and and it certainly I think appears to be a general call to a life of tranquility. But I think there's more to it than that. When my wife and I were still living in Corpus Christi, we were newlyweds. We didn't have any children yet. And the church that we attended uh developed uh the ministry of cell groups. If some of you don't know what a cell group was, a cell group was the the precursor to small groups and and life groups.
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God wants us to learn to live in the quiet areas of life where we can learn to be still and and reflect and where we can quiet our spirits and hear from God where we're not so disoriented by this busy life that we live. You know, Paul was not telling the Thessalonians to be less exuberant or to be less spirited. He was just telling them be less frantic. So if you're an exuberant person, it's okay. You're a gift to those of us that aren't. All right? So nothing wrong with that.
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But being constantly busy and frenetic and frantic can make someone a distraction to others and take away focus from their relationship with God. But when the Christian finds peace within themselves and finds peace with God, they also bring peace to those around them. Living with a sense of calm, living with a sense of God's peace, that's a practical way to show love and care even for others. So God is calling us to a life of intentional peace, not passivity, but purposeful calm.
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In fact, the word in Greek that Paul uses here for the word quiet implies tranquility, restfulness. It it implies a settled spirit. It has a sense of leading a life that is free from disruption and commotion. So, how can we do this? What are some practical applications for how we can live a quiet life? Three things right here. Cultivate stillness. Resist the noise and be a calming presence. Cultivate stillness. In other words, cultivate being still and being silent.
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Start your day with silence before God. Let his voice be the first voice you hear and let his voice be the loudest voice in your life. Resist the noise. Resist the noise. Folks, you don't have to comment on everything and every conversation you have, whether in person or or online. It's It's funny. I say this sometimes. Uh occasionally I see uh people who comment everything every little detail that's going on in their lives online.
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Paul was not trying to sound harsh or to be harsh. Uh he he's being pastoral when he says, "You shouldn't mind your own business." In the Greek, this is closer. The idea, this whole phrase is closer to mind your own affairs because in English it sounds very harsh. Mind your own business. Have you ever been told that or told that to somebody? It's very blunt, right? Like you get into the point mind your own business. That's an that's the way we respond to it in English.
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But in the Greek, it was closer to mind your own affairs. Mind your own affairs. In other words, Paul is addressing a tendency among some believers here to become idle and middlesome. Idle and medalsome. Instead of focusing on their own spiritual growth and responsibilities, what they were doing is they were interfering in the lives of others. He says in second the 2 Thessalonians 3:11, "We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive."
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But his point was about self-sufficiency. It wasn't about isolating, you know, isolate yourself, mind your own business or wasn't being rude. But, uh, this is important for us and this is relevant for us today because we we live in a culture that is obsessed with comparison and commentary. Comparison and commentary. Social media has made it easy for us to live in other people's business, judging, envying, criticizing. It's hard for us to comment without it, you know, being a judgment on some somebody else.
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Tend to your own soul. How do you tend to your soul? I mean, do you even think about the necessity of having to tend to your soul? Do you get up in the mornings and and and think about, okay, I need to take care of my soul? There's a verse that that has really spoken to me and and and that is uh in Mark 8:36 the the words of Jesus where he said this and and what do you benefit right the in the King James it says what does it profit a man what is and what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul you gain the whole world
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See, minding your own business means taking care of your responsibilities, but not at the expense of your soul. We can work, work, work and not ever care for our souls. Our souls are drying up. Our souls are are dying. So, I think we need to understand this this way. Tend to your soul. Take care of your soul. Feed it with God's word. Strengthen your soul in moments of silence and and moments of reflection. Bring joy to your soul with healthy relationships, with godly relationships. Tend to your soul.
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When we focus on our own walk with God, we become healthier. We become more joyful, better, and easier to be around. We become more effective in loving others. So, what are some more practical applications here? How do we mind our own business? Number one, guard your attention. Guard your attention. What are you giving attention to? What are you feeding your mind? Are you more aware of what's going on in other people's lives than you are about your own spiritual condition, about your own soul?
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I think we can be and we should be is a lighthouse. Be a lighthouse. In other words, shine where you are. Shine where you are. A lighthouse doesn't chase ships. It just stands firm. A lighthouse just stands firm. You don't need to manage everybody else's journey. Just shine where you are. So, mind your own business. Here's the third thing that Paul says. Work with your hands. He says in verse 11, work with your hands. Now, this is not just an endorsement for manual labor alone, right?
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Paul uh you might know was a tent maker by trade and he dignified work because he worked throughout his ministry. And so he's reminding the Thessalonians that honest labor, making an honest buck, it's a form of worship and it's a form of witnessing to outsiders. Honest work reflects the image of God who worked to create us and still works in us and who placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work. Now don't think that work is a curse. That work is a result of the fall.
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But there's something sacred about work. Whether it's, you know, building something, you're teaching children, you're changing diapers, you're cleaning buildings, you're crunching numbers, whatever it is that you're doing, when we do it with love and integrity, work becomes a testimony. It provides for our needs, right? God uses our jobs to provide for our needs, and it blesses others. and it honors God, but it it's also a testimony to outsiders. So, practical applications, see your work as worship.
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When you go back to work Tuesday, because I'm assuming you'll have day off tomorrow. Hope you do. When you go back to work Tuesday, tell your spouse, "I'm going to worship because you are." Yeah, I'll see who really says that. I'm going to worship. So, see your work as worship. And and secondly, be faithful in the small things because God often uses the ordinary work, the hard work to shape our character. He uses ordinary work to shape extraordinary character in us.
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The world is watching not just what we say but the world is watching how we live. And Paul gives us this clear path. Like I said this sermon writes itself. He gives us this clear path. live quietly because in a loud and frantic world, a quiet, peaceful life stands out. It's noticeable when you stay calm and you stop chasing attention. People notice that. So live quietly, mind your own business, focus on your walk with God, be faithful with what he's given you, and work. Work with your hands.
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