1 Thessalonians 4:11 says we should live quiet lives and mind our own affairs and work with our hands. It seems like in other places, God is telling us to live quiet lives. What does it mean to live a quiet life as a believer?
Someone once described American Christians as people who worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship. This is the opposite of what Paul was saying. He said it should be our ambition to cease from our labors, which is the literal interpretation of living a quiet life. Minding our own affairs means we shouldn’t allow ourselves to become distracted by the world around us, or what other people say, think, or do, and working with our hands means we shouldn’t be idle. The old saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” comes to mind.