1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 12 Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.
As a community of believers we have found that, not only are these words helpful, but they are the truth! Amongst us are engineers, salesmen, teachers, councillors, I.T. specialists, care workers, students and stay at home parents. No matter what occupation God gives us, it is so important for Christians to work with our hands, mind our own business and this will lead us to ‘the quiet life’. Yes in order to live a life free of drama and gossip we need to occupy ourselves wisely with work and ministry, staying focused on Jesus throughout it all. The world does not need the church to be a bunch of judgemental busy-bodies. By keeping ourselves focused on constructive tasks and the hands on work of God we will gain respect from our neighbours and communities which will put us in a position to bless them as we ought to rather than being a burden.