The Virtue of a Quiet Life

Coffee With God: 7/26/2024 | 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

“Make it your ambition to live a quiet life, 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.”

When you consider the influence Jesus has had on the world, it is shocking how little we know about his life.

Outside of a few facts about his birth and a snapshot from a single event that took place during his adolescence, all we know about Jesus’ life comes from a three-year period during which his ministry on earth ran its course.

This is not an accident.

We live in an age when many people are looking for a platform. With the invention of social media, it’s never been easier to have one. Ever heard the phrase “Twitter followers”?

Jesus made it his ambition to remain anonymous.

Yes, his ministry eventually required him to reveal himself to the world as the Son of God, and in performing the most selfless act in human history, he became the most famous person ever to live.

But Jesus was the polar opposite of a self-promoter. What did he do when crowds started following him? Ran for the hills, literally (Luke 5:12/Mark 1:35). Or got into a boat and crossed the biggest body of water most people had ever seen (Mark 4:36).

The gospels provide numerous examples of Jesus healing someone and then telling them to keep it a secret (Mark 1:40-44; Matthew 8:1-4; Luke 5:12-15). Can you imagine seeing a miracle today and then keeping it to yourself?

Did Jesus’ teaching align with his lifestyle? Undoubtedly:

• “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3).
  

• “And when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6).
  

• “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,  even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28).

Jesus’ life offers us a superb example of qualities that we are even less familiar with today than people were back when life was much simpler: quietness, modesty, humility, and self-denial.

In a world where many people are looking for bigger and bigger platforms, where self-promotion appears as a virtue, and where opinions are as common as left thumbs, what would it look like if his followers made it our ambition to live a quiet life? To not be self-promoting or motivated by personal ambition? To live each day for an audience of one?

While we tend to equate success, security, status, wealth, and possessions with happiness and contentment, Jesus seemed to think the opposite was true. The key to an overflowing life is not found in acquiring more possessions or climbing the societal totem pole. It’s in denying yourself, dedicating your life to the service of others, and being content with what you have.

In a world where individual platforms seem to get bigger and bigger, and the noise around us seems to get louder and louder, I can’t think of anything that stands out more starkly than a life committed to quietness, contentment, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Virtue of a Quiet Life