Marsha's Musings: My Quiet Time

My Quiet Time

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 ESV)

I remember as a child in the Christian school, we would have Bible Memory Verse Day in Chapel every Friday.  We could stand up and quote a verse from the Bible to the rest of the school.  One of the verses many kids delighted in quoted from the King James Version was  verse eleven.  It went like this in the KJV:

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; (1 Thessalonians 4:11 KJV)

Of course our principal loved the first part, but the kids loved the part about doing your own business.  Some of the kids liked to misquote it to say, "...mind your own business..."

I think in light of the verse following, it most likely had to do with being a good citizen, making your own living so you do not have to be dependent on anyone.  That is good advice.

The verses in this passage prior to this, talk about brotherly love.  Paul wanted these Christians to show brotherly love more and more to each other.  What does brotherly love look like?  

1 Corinthians 13 is a good place to start if you want to see what love looks like and how it acts.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 KJV)

Another way to find out what brotherly love looks like is to check out all the one another commands in the New Testament.  Here are most of them below.  Perhaps you can find more.

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. (John 13:14 KJV)

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (John 13:34 KJV)

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; (Romans 12:10 KJV)

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8 KJV)

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. (Romans 14:13 KJV)

Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. (Romans 15:7 KJV)

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13 KJV)

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. (Galatians 5:15 KJV)

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. (Galatians 5:15 KJV)

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 KJV)

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; (Ephesians 4:2 KJV)

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32 KJV)

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (Colossians 3:13 KJV)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16 KJV)

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. (1 Thessalonians 5:11 KJV)

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13 KJV)

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 KJV)

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: (1 Peter 1:22 KJV)

So what does brotherly love look like?  

Does it mean we rush in like a herd of buffalo under fire to correct someone every time they do something that doesn't fit our standard of thinking?  No.

Does it mean we are quick to criticize our fellow Christians for any little thing under the guise of "helping them" or "encouraging them to do better"?  No.

It means we seek to uplift the discouraged Christian with encouragement, not criticism.  

It means we listen or read carefully what they have to say so we know we understand what they are driving at before we jump in with unwarranted critical remarks and call them a heretic.

It means we carefully and lovingly correct those who have a faulty doctrinal standing on essential doctrines of salvation.

It means we show patience and a non-judgmental spirit towards those who hold a different personal standard/conviction than our own on issues that the Bible does not clearly address or on issues where there are different interpretations that all could be valid.

It means we are forgiving of those Christians who may be different than us in personality and are offensive to us.  It means we don't run to the pastor to fix the offensive person, nor should we shun them or gather a following to gossip with about how they have offended us.

It means we realize that not everyone has as much free time on their hands as others do and we are understanding when someone has to say no to a church activity or responsibility.  We don't gather a following to shun them for not jumping in help with our activity.

It means we don't guilt others into doing things the way we think they should be doing or acting. For instance a new person comes to church.  It's not a particular person's nature to rush over and greet them, yet we think they should so we set about to lay a guilt trip on them to go meet the new person on our time table.  This is not showing love to your fellow Christian. It's trying to make them measure up to your standard.

It means you give your fellow Christian room to do business with whomever they choose and you don't get your nose bent out of shape if they take their business elsewhere. 

It means we show a spirit of meekness and caring toward our fellow Christians instead of coming across as arrogant, and more knowledgeable.

I give the above examples because these are things that either I or loved ones of my family have experienced at the hands of other Christians in various churches we have been part of during our life time. 

It's a sad commentary, but a person  I know said this last week, "I have never been treated so badly at work as I have by other Christians in the church!"  

Sadly, I have to agree.  But I also explained that Satan has no work to do in the world.  The church is where he unleashes all his fury because if he can get Christians pitted against each other within the church, then he has won the battle.  Thankfully, God will see that he does not win the war.