“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

Paul instructed believers to live and work in such a way that their lives gave credibility to the message of the gospel. Another benefit of such a lifestyle was that they weren’t dependent on the church, their neighbors or the government for their needs. In fact, such a lifestyle led to a surplus that allowed them to help others. Our lifestyle and work should be a platform for proclaiming Christ and our dependence on Him alone. Living for Christ makes us producers/givers, not consumers/takers.