Silence

" Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,to mind your own ambition, 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 Thessalonians 4: 11-12"

Oh man. I am LOVING new through 30. LOVING IT! I am learning so much, its insane. Today, I came across this little passage, and felt oh-so compelled to share it with the blogging world. Just to set the stage, Thessalonians was a letter that was written by Paul in the early stages of his ministry. It included history, encouragement, and instruction- basically it covers a little bit of everything. But anyway, this particular passage really spoke to me today- now, I could chat about a million parts of this passage, but the thing that screamed to me the loudest was the word quiet... and I'm not trying to be oxymoronic or anything. Here's my train of thought- So many people today in the church are loud and proud. And there is NOTING wrong with that. But this verse got me to thinking. In this day and age, when there are so many people practically screaming their views on every issue in the world, when activism is the norm, shouldn't we as Christians let our actions speak louder than our words? I mean, we were talking in government about how Christianity is declining in the nation at an alarming rate. And that is scary! But the last thing that people need, is more views shoved down their throat. Instead, we should "make it our ambition to live a quiet life" that honors the Lord, without shouting our views from the rooftops. My guess is that people would be much more open to listen if you're not screaming. A good deed, peppered with respect can say a lot more than words ever will. Now, I'm not saying don't witness. I'm just musing. Maybe, just maybe, this quiet is the loudest weapon we Christians have to use... I encourage you to read the entire book this week. Because I have been inspired. And it would be a shame to miss out on the inspiration.