Református ujság - Fraternity-Testvériség, 1940 (18. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1940-11-01 / 11. szám
4 TESTVÉRISÉG A TIMELY APOSTOLIC PRECEPT I. Thessalonians 4:11-12. “We beseech you, brethren, that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without and that ye may have lack of nothing.” Christianity is not only a “doctrine” but also a “way of life.” In the above quoted text Apostle Paul gives guidance to the Thessalonian Christians as to how to deport themselves in an atmosphere of suspense. The Thessalonians, as attested by the two epistles addressed to them, were very much excited about the return of the Lord Jesus and the events predicted to be connected with it. They expected the consummation of the existing world-order and the establishment of a new era. They found themselves exposed to the temptation of headless hysteria, idle speculations, distraction from their immediate tasks, bearing an honorable testimony to their faith and drifting from their own spiritual, mental and moral moorings. They were essentially in the same psychological fix as the man of today. The fact that they were agitated by heavenly events held impending, and not by earthly ones, does not materially change the close identity of their situation and their reaction to same with that of our times and our reactions. They felt the world shaken under their feet, themselves dislocated from the snug security of their accustomed way of everyday life, and they thought it senseless to do any planning for the future, just as it is with the man of today. This essential identity of their situation with ours lends a dawny freshness to the above quoted message of the Apostle. Flowing through the time- waves of tbe intervening centuries, it cathes up with the toubled man of our times. It sounds as something authoritatively and especially meant for the here and now of our day, too. The eternal timeliness of God’s word is easily felt in this apostolic message to troubled hearts and puzzled minds. ”We beseech you, brethren”. . . ”We do entreat you, brothers”... It is not a rude command. It is a quiet, dignified and mature appeal to reason. It is like a father speaking to his agitated children. It is the voice of true love and concern for the welfare of those addressed. It is a voice worthy of listening to. ’’Study to be quiet”... ’’Endeavour to live quietly”... ’’Surpass yourself in striving to live quietly”.. . ’’The ‘quiet’ which Paul would have us cultivate is not only external, but the inward tranquility of a spirit calm because fixed on God. By Dr. CHARLES VINCZE The secret place of the Most High is ever still, and, if we dwell there, our hearts will not be disturbed by any tumults without” (Maclaren). All versions of the original bear out the fact that the achievement of such a life-fixing quietness is not easy. One has to surpass himself to attain it, it must be a matter of close study of systematic cultivation, and the consistently held goal of earnest endeavors. And even then its possession is a divine gift. But it is an absolute requirement to a sane weighing of all besetting problems and to a balanced world. ”Do your own business”. . . ’’Mind your own affairs”... ’’Attend to your own business”... We cannot help but witness a lot of efforts to divert our attentions from our own business to the affairs of others. This method does not bring and does not secure the quiet living the apostle speaks about. A conscientious soul cannot feel at ease unless his own house is in order. No amount of meddling can still the still small voice of a live conscience and that of sef-reproach. Therefore the biblical precept works the other way. Minding one’s own affairs, doing and attending to one’s own business well and quietly is always soothing and reassuring. It is one of the ways to inward calm. Not only for ourselves, but also for others. In an excited world there is nothing so soothing as the sight of a person who goes about his business as calmly and as circumspectantly as though everything in order. The Bible likes that attitude. It holds it up as a test of leadership and as a basis for further and larger trusts. And even in the hour of their rapture the Lord likes to find His servants engaged in attending to their own busines. This does not mean that the Bible advocates a narrow disinterested attitude toward our fellow-men and an exclusive, selfish concern for our own things alone. It simply means that nobody can busy himself honestly with the affairs of others who fails even with his own immediate task. It is the minimum for the neglect of which there is no valid excuse. Not even in troubled times. ’’Work with your own hands”... To do something well often necessitates work with our own hands. And work with one’s own hands is one of the best ways to take off one’s mind from disquieting problems. Work is one of God’s best medicines for troubled minds. The common belief that the Bible regards work as part of the curse placed upon sinning man has no biblical foundation. Sin altered the physical effects and the fruitfulness of labor, but man was commissioned to work even in Paradise. Even under the shadow
