Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, 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.
Comment: Paul writes about what he says that he doesn’t need to write about! *Brotherly Love!* He says that he doesn’t need to talk about it but he does! It is so important and that importance is based upon and underlined by even often written in red because Jesus said it! John ch13 v35
‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.‘
Then Paul goes on to talk about three other matters. 1. ‘Aspire to live quietly.’ What exactly does this mean? Some people are argumentative, some bad tempered. Is it dealing with these character traits? The devil seeks to make Christians remember and feel guilty for their past, unsettling them – whereas God Has forgiven them and ‘wiped the tablet clean’! Does it refer to this? Don’t get involved, live in a monastery or nunnery? Maybe for some but for many that is escapism and Jesus has told us to be as involved as He was! 2. Don’t be a busybody or a gossiper! This is Oh, so important! 3. Earn a living don’t expect to be on the dole! Help is needed sometimes and is available but ‘Idle hands are the devil’s workshop‘ or sometimes the quote goes, instead of workshop, playthings. I think both are true! 4. In summary he says ‘walk properly before outsiders‘. We are to be doing our Lord’s work of reflecting Him to our society!
Prayer: Help me to climb the heights with You, my God, and not to be satisfied with mediocrity!
As I read it! 