1 Thessalonians 4:11 – Be Ambitious to Be Quiet

11 and that you be ambitious to be quiet, and to be engaged in your own affairs, and to be working with your hands, according as we charge you,

Paul uses a remarkable expression: ‘be ambitious’. Literally, he speaks of loving honor. We usually associate honor with ambition, achievement, and recognition. But Paul gives that ambition a surprising direction: make it your ambition to be quiet! Not putting yourself in the spotlight, but going about your life without the urge to assert yourself or create unnecessary unrest.

This also includes attending to your own affairs. After all, the abundant brotherly fondness Paul has just written about does not mean you should interfere in everything. Love also respects the responsibility of others. In his second letter, Paul speaks of people who do not work but instead meddle in all kinds of affairs (2 Thess. 3:11). Apparently, this exhortation was not unnecessary.

Finally, Paul mentions working with your own hands. He himself set the example in this (1 Thess. 2:9). Perhaps some had neglected their work because of an excessive expectation of the day of the Lord, although Paul never explicitly says so. In any case, he urges them to work quietly and eat their own bread (2 Thess. 3:12). Ordinary daily work is by no means inferior. Love takes shape in this as well: not living at the expense of others, but taking responsibility for yourself.

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