1 Thessalonians 4:12-13
4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

If we start to break down these two verses there questions we could ask of ourselves.

• Do we lead a quiet life, or are things always in turmoil?
• Do we live in peace, or is it in constant strife?

If we are living in strife and turmoil, what are we doing to contribute to it?
Do we mind our own business, or are we busybodies and meddlers? Do we always want to know what the other person across the fence is doing? Do we always call up somebody for the latest news about what’s going on over the  church or with that person and his problem?

• Is our “helpfulness” really a guise for poking our nose in where we are not wanted? With some people it is .They serve in order to get the gossip  on others.
• Do we work, or are we lazy? This does not mean just our physical labor for the food we put on our table. It could be spiritual work. It could be our service to one another. Do we work with our own hands, or are people always making allowances for us?
• Are we living off the goodness of another’s heart? Some people think they are owed something. They are victims of circumstance, and so they want everybody to give to them, rather than working for it.
• Do we show the same Christian character to our work buddies as we do to the people who sit beside us in church?
• Paul asks that here in terms of “walking  properly toward those who are outside.” Are our lives hypocritical?
• Do we put on our best character and slip into a chair at church just once each week?
• Do our acquaintances in the world see Christ in us?
• Do they see someone who curses a blue streak six days a week, but one day a week, he is the soul of pleasant and wise speech?
• How do people in the world see us?

Every person in who believes in God needs to examine their character and ask the questions  do I know that I lack some quality that would make me a better servant to the Lord  and strive to add it to our characters