Mind
Your Own Business
By
Shelby
G. Floyd
The apostle Paul exhorted the Christians
at Thessalonica to increase more and more their brotherly love. God had taught
them to “love one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; Matthew
Then he points out some practical ways
brotherly love can be accomplished: “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, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and
that you may lack nothing” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). Notice that we
demonstrate “brotherly love” when we “mind our own business” and do our work in
a quiet manner. Some people can not mind their own business because they are
always trying to mind others business.
Recently an anecdote came to my attention
about how to mind your own business:
“I was walking past the
mental hospital the other day, and all the patients were shouting,
13...13...13.
The fence was too high to
see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks, so I looked through to see what
was going on.
Some idiot poked me in the
eye with a stick!
Then they all started
shouting 14...14...14.”
Minding
other people’s business seemed to be a problem with some members of the church
at Thessalonica. In his second letter to this church Paul wrote: “We hear
that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies” (2
Thessalonians