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

Commentary: In today's society, working with one's hands is analogous to a job with a measurable output, easily seen by others. Too often, we find that the goals are to find the fast dollar, the system, the wheeling and dealing quick way to financial gain. In Paul's letter, there is no reference to position, wealth, function or visibility. The reference is focused on how others, not of our faith, view us in our pursuit of our goals. The real value of independence lies in the freedom to choose God's path for our lives, a no strings attached life without the temptations of compromise.