Across the Pastor’s Desk

By the Rev. Matt Hundley, Albert Lea Vineyard Church

I have been teaching from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, and last week we read an interesting passage in the fourth chapter. It says, “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 any body.” (1 Thess. 4:11-12)

There have been different times in my life where my ambitions have shifted due to my circumstances and attitudes. Now that I have reached my 40s and have sent two kids to college and our oldest daughter off to Afghanistan, I am finding that a new ambition is dawning within me, namely, to do what Paul instructed the Thessalonians.

In fact, this goal seems to be what might help America regain some of her influence. If each of us sought to lead a quiet life, minding our own business, and working hard with our hands, we just might find that a trend starts. I believe the wisdom of God’s Word, if incorporated into our lives, actually provides more than we realize.

Too often, we are distracted by everything that comes along. We are inundated by information about everyone. Blogs, tweets, e-mails, Skype, the list goes on and on. Everyone seems to know far more than is necessary and our minds have become overwhelmed with trivial information.

What if we step away from all this technology for an hour a day, carving out time to enjoy silence and solitude and be with God in the Word or prayer? You may find that suddenly you have more space in your heart and mind that results in a clearer perspective on life and new insights about how to live in a confusing and sometimes hopeless world.

There would also be additional benefits for both you and society. People would begin to live lives that are respectable and not dependent upon others. I’m fully aware that from time to time we all need a hand to make it through difficult seasons of life. Friends have recently lost their jobs for a variety of reasons.

Yet, if we were to focus on being people worthy of respect, being hard-working, quiet when it comes to the faults of others, and keeping our noses out of other’s business, we might just find that we find contentment within our own life and mind. In fact, this is what the Bible says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”

What is your ambition?