Ambition

“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 Thess 4:11-12 (NIV)

Where there is order there is fruitfulness. Strive earnestly to live a disciplined life. What does that look like? It looks like a life that is orderly and balanced. It is a life that is disciplined and focused. Allow these words to be absorbed in your spirit: order, balance, discipline, and focus. Lead a quiet life. Mind your own business. Work with your hands. Maximize your potential and do not be dependent on anybody. That is not to say that you don’t need others. You need others, but your dependency is not to be a result of laziness or passive neglect.

What is the goal of a balanced life? Is it to produce personal happiness? Is it to minimize stress? Those are certainly by-products of a balanced life. However, the goal of a balanced life is to be an irresistible influence for Christ in our culture. Your life is to be lived in such a way as to win the respect of outsiders. Those who are outside of the family of God should be able to view your life and be drawn to Christ. Your life should be magnetic and convincing.

Do you lack order, balance, discipline, and focus? Maybe you have too many plates spinning. Maybe it is time to simplify your life. Identify and remove the clutter from your life. Create some space. It may be the most spiritual thing you do this week.  

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor