1 Thesssalonians 4

So then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to keep living the way you already are and even do better in how you live and please God—just as you learned from us. ² You know the instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

We are instructed by Paul, (encouraged and exhorted) as he speaks to the Thessalonians, to live in a way that pleases God.  We know it is possible to live in such a way because he tells the Thessalonians that they are doing exactly that.  But, don't get complacent, thinking that you have it all in the bag; the very nature of spiritual growth is that we are becoming more and more like Christ which is not an instantaneous process, it is a lifelong commitment. 

Again, we are not talking about earning salvation, but really the life of the regenerated one who has experienced the grace of God's salvation.  Having been saved by grace through faith, we are to allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity to do the work of sanctification in us.  We must strive to please God and Paul says that they had all the necessary knowledge to do so, because in the time that he had been with them he had instructed them in the way they ought to live in order to please God.  This outward obedience is the result of the inward work of the Holy Spirit.

So what are some of the fundamentals of Christian living?
What are some of the things Paul taught them that they needed to do to please God?  Here are some of them Paul mentioned in one way or another in his writings...

to pray continually and to grow in faith (Phil. 4:6; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:8);
to pursue humility (Matt. 20:26-28; Eph. 4:1-2; Phil. 2:3-4; Col. 3:12);
to be content with God's will (1 Tim. 6:6, 8; Heb. 13:5),
to read and study God's Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17);
to be willing to suffer for His name (Matt. 5:10-12; 2 Tim. 3:12);
to share the gospel with those who were lost (Matt. 4:19; 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; 2 Cor. 5:20; 2 Tim. 4:5);
to celebrate the Lord's Table (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-28);
to care for one another (Gal. 6:2; Phil. 2:3-4; 1 Thess. 5:11, 14);
to honor God in their marriages and families (Eph. 5:22-6:4; Col. 3:18-21; 1 Tim. 5:3-16; Titus 2:1-8);
and to be diligent and fruitful in serving God (cf. Matt. 3:8; Eph. 2:10; Col. 1:10; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Titus 3:8, 14)

Are we becoming more like Christ and is that inner transformation showing up in a life that is pleasing to God?