Our day-to-day existence should be all about living to please God.
Many folks choose to live a loud, extensive, and famous life. I, on the other hand, desire to live a quiet life. So, there seems to be much resistance around us to prevent quiet living.
The Scriptures encourage us to live quietly. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody,” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 instructs.
There is more to being a Christian than simply loving other Christians. Every aspect of our lives must be focused on serving the Lord with praise and thanksgiving.
No, you don’t have to walk around with your head bowed and your fingertips pressed together to form a temple. God wants us to be happy. After all, He created us and the world out of an overflow of His own happiness. The Bible translates happiness to joy or blessedness.
But, back to the Thessalonians. Some of them had become idle, depending on others for handouts. We can certainly identify with that in today’s society. So Paul told them to work hard and live a quiet life.
That advice applies to us as well. Such will earn us the respect of others. Therefore, our testimony for the Lord will carry much more weight.
Many people choose a loud life because quiet requires the courage to confront their thoughts, hearts and souls. Unlike my spouse, I am not a purveyor of small talk. He can talk incessantly to the point that I sometimes must ask him for a “time out.” There are those of us who require time to recharge our inner selves.
Of course, hygiene, neatness, and grooming are important, but a person’s attitude and inner spirit are more important. True beauty comes from within.
The Lord God has told us what He requires of us. Micah 6:8 reminds us: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
People have tried from the beginning various and sundry ways to please God. When all He asks is for His people to be just, merciful, and walk humbly with Him.
To be just is to behave according to what is morally right and fair, and to be accurate, correct, and righteous in one’s dealings with others. To show lovingkindness toward others. Walking humbly with God means developing a close relationship with Him, recognizing His greatness and our own weaknesses and desires.
It is in the quiet that we often hear the whisper of God. It’s when we listen, feel and experience Him. In the silence, we have room to think about how to serve others, for that is what life is all about. A quiet life can be one of great courage.
There are, after all, situations in which it is impossible to be physically quiet. Young parents chasing their toddlers is a prime example.
Perhaps you are in the middle of a massive project at work. You could be compelled to speak up in social justice conversations. The key here is to cultivate quiet on the inside when surrounded by noise you have no control over.
Be mindful of your surroundings. Schedule quiet time like an important meeting. Sit in your car for 5 minutes or briefly hide in the bathroom. That is not being selfish; it’s instead doing what is essential for your ability to serve well.
Psalm 23 reminds us that “the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters; he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Our shepherd knows the green pastures and quiet waters that will restore us. We will reach these places only by following Him obediently. Give thanks and praise His name. Be continually in prayer and stay in His word.
A quiet life is brave and intentional. It is about value, not volume. Living a peaceful life is a worthy, even holy, goal. God bless you.
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