Mind Your Own Business

Now that I’m back from the Dominican Republic (and freezing!) these posts will be every day again. I apologize for skipping a few days. Verses 9-12 are sentences that give us a few commands on how to live our lives.  In verses 9-10 Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to love one another “more and more” and I wrote about that in the previous post.  Here are verses 11-12:  11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.”  Did you know that there is a command in the Bible to “mind your own business”?  When my mother told me to do that, I never knew she was quoting the Bible (and I’m not sure she knew either).  What is the idea of Paul’s command here?  I don’t think that Paul is calling for Christians to be “isolationists”.  That certainly would go against the idea of community and the importance of relationships.  I think that verse 12 gives us the context.  Paul doesn’t want the Thessalonians to live their lives in such a way as to negatively influence those who are not Jesus followers.  Note again the phrase, “that you may walk properly toward those who are outside”.  I think we are most effective in sharing the gospel if we are not too prominent in trying to change people from the outside.  I recognize that there is a tension here however.  I don’t think this means we can never speak to someone else or post on social media regarding difficult topics but I do think we run the risk of running ahead of the Holy Spirit and at times putting people off.  I know I’ve messed this up at times.  I encourage you to consider Paul’s words here and how they apply to your life today.  Sometimes minding our own business can help mend other relationships. Just think about it.

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