Start with Who

 

Maybe you are familiar with the book by Simon Sinek titled Start with Why. In it he explores the power of purpose-driven leadership, emphasizing that successful individuals and organizations inspire action by clearly communicating their "why" – their core beliefs and purpose – before discussing the "how" and "what" of their actions.  Let’s take that basic structure and add one critical element to it.

 

1 Thessalonians 1:3 - We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Things to think about:

·       What we do, how we do it and why we do it are all key elements of this passage

·       One “what” we find here is our work. 

o   James 2:18 - But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

o   Why do we do our Christian work? – because of our faith

·       Related to our work is our labor

o   What’s the difference between work and labor you might wonder.

§  I’d offer that work is the final product, labor is the effort it took to produce it.

o   And that labor is prompted by love

§  Love is the ultimate WHY

·       John 3:16 - For God so loved the world

·       1 Cor. 13:1-3 - If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

·       Another “what” is “your endurance”

o   It is not enough to to start well, we must finish the race before us.  And what allows us to keep going?

§  The Why is it is inspired by hope

§  The word inspire is interesting – its root is related to breathing.  Hope is the very breath we need to persevere.

o    However, hope that is not rooted in someone or something is merely wishing.

§  our faith is beyond having a Why, it is because we have a Who - our Lord Jesus Christ!

·       So what do we take away from today’s lesson?

o   We have hope because Jesus loved us so much that He died on the cross and rose from the dead and is alive at the right hand of God constantly interceding for us

o   That love prompts us to “work out our salvation” by loving God and loving others

o   And our labor will produce a good crop that reflects back on God and brings Him glory and honor – amen!

Are You Listening?

 

 When I think about times when I have gotten sideways in a relationship, a common thread has often my need to be right.  That need leads to stubbornness, heightened emotions, and harsh words.  After many failures in this area, a key learning that was shared with me can be summed up in the phrase “the relationship is more important that being right.”  I am eternally grateful that someone shared that insight with me (and that I actually listened to them!) as it has made a world of difference. 

 

Proverbs 13:10 – Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice

 

Things to think about:

·       Pride – when being right is more important than the relationship

·       James 4:1-2 – “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.”

·       Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

·       Proverbs 15:22a – “Plans fail for lack of counsel…”

 

·       The opposite of Pride is Humility

o   Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less – CS Lewis

·       1 Peter 5:5-6 – “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

·       A key attribute of humility is a willingness to listen      

o   Prov. 16:20 – “Whoever heeds instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord”

o   Proverbs 15:22b – “…but with many advisors plans succeed”

·       James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

·       Proverbs 13:20 – “Walk with the wise and become wise…”

Do you need a God-sized Q-tip to get some of the pride out of your ears so you can better hear His wisdom???

A Quiet Life

 

Simplicity is a greatly underappreciated quality these days.  If you don’t have a million followers and a reality TV show, does your life really matter???  As usual, the Apostle Paul would beg to differ with what the world promotes.  In our verse below, he is advocating for a simple life that yields big results.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 - make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and 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.

 

Things to think about:

·       “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life” – that sounds almost paradoxical, doesn’t it?  How ambitious can a quiet life be anyway?

o   What does he mean by a quiet life?

§  “You should mind your own business” – that doesn’t sound very compatible with social media, gossiping, and meddling!

·       Why is it important to mind your own business?

·       How has it gone sideways for you when you haven’t?      

§  “…and work with your hands” – if you are staying busy with your work, you shouldn’t have that much time or energy to poking your nose into other people’s business

·       All work has dignity, not just certain kinds.  The older I get the more admiration and respect I have for folks who know how to make, fix, and improve things!

·       What are the benefits of leading a quiet life?

o   You have a powerful witness to an unbelieving world – “your daily life may win the respect of outsiders”

§  Proverbs 22:29 – “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”

§  And of course, we all know Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”

§  Who do you know that is a skilled workman? What is it about their work you admire?

§  When we are busy about our work, we don’t have time to be gossiping about what everyone else is up to.

o   “So that you will not be dependent on anybody” – I know most of you well enough to know you have worked very hard in your careers to provide for your families

§  Not everyone sees it as their duty to look after their needs through their work and they expect someone else to carry their load.

·       Why do you think God doesn’t endorse this mentality when someone is capable but unwilling?

§  The Church is responsible for looking after those who need assistance.   When those who could be supporting themselves don’t and look to the Church or state for a handout, they are sapping resources from those truly in need.

·       Let’s aspire to lead quiet lives, ones that the outside world can respect and find attractive.  As the saying goes, you may be the only Bible some people read!