1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 – Be loving in life and live to glorify God

In verses 9-10, we see Paul progressing from the issue of chastity to charity. He was calling for the brethren to excel in loving. God would place His love in the heart of a believer. Therefore loving others should characterize a redeemed child of God. Loving others ought to be the natural outcome of those who are in Christ Jesus. And loving one another in God’s family should also be evidently clear. To be unloving toward each other would be acting out of character as a redeemed person.

Paul told the Thessalonians that loving the brethren was so much a part of them already, for God had taught them concerning it. And they had been practicing it with other believers in Macedonia. However, knowing the human tendency to depart from what one knows to be true, Paul reminded and exhorted them to excel even more in love. Love should be the mark of genuine Christianity. And we ought to make loving fellow believers and others our daily agenda.   

Finally from verses 11-12, Paul dealt with the normal everyday issues of life in a believer. He called for growth in this seemingly ordinary area. It appeared that while waiting for Christ’s glorious return, some were so carried away that they literally dropped out of life and became idle. They quit their jobs, choosing to become busybodies instead. They began to take advantage and live on the generosity of others, since they were not earning a living anymore. Paul reminded them not to let life slip away idly. He exhorted them to go about diligently in the everyday business of life. They were urged to work with their hands and to seize every opportunity to glorify and please God. He was saying to them that they could please God in the mundane things of life as they waited for the Lord’s return. How? By attending to their daily living diligently so that they would not be in need.

Work has values. It helps us to gain self-respect and also keeps us from burdening others. Having a meaningful career will help us to maintain self-respect. If we do not work we cannot take care of our own financial needs, and we will also not be able to have the means to help others in need. The value of work is not found in the wealth it will create, but in our ability to help others. This will in turn help us to respect ourselves. So let’s live meaningfully for God.