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It's Time to Mind Your Own Business
Updated: Sep 8, 2022
The phrase mind your own business is typically associated with telling others who are occupied with trying to see what you’re doing or talking about to attend to their own affairs.
I Thessalonians 4:11 says … “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;”
Minding your own business involves a lot of effort. As humans, we’re innately curious about everything. We want to know what happened, who did it, how it happened, and what was the outcome of a situation? However, during our investigative journeys, we can become distracted longer than we intended.
This is due to our repeated analysis of a situation which is often followed by our distribution of the information that we’ve discovered. We must tell our friends about we what know to gain their opinions to see if they agree with our opinions.
Our need to know so much about everyone else generally stems from a need for validation to confirm what we’re doing is okay, or to imagine what our lives would be like if we were like someone else who appears to be successful in every area of their life. When browsing social media for extended periods of time, this escapism can become a hinderance to us not meeting our personal goals and not discovering who God intended us to be.
In our fast-paced world of information and trending behavior, it’s easy to become consumed with other people’s thoughts about which paths to take. However, if you’ve found yourself on a path you didn’t intend to travel, or delayed traveling at all because you let others influence you to do things you didn’t want to do or thought the path you chose was the right one, but you’re not fulfilled, it’s time to mind your own business.
Now you may be thinking how can you do that when your life is filled with so many demands from family, work, school, and other commitments?
First, I want to create a scenario for you. Imagine you are an embassy worker sent to another country to represent your employer. Your role would be to … “analyze the political and economic situation in the host country and report back to the Department of State according to the U.S. Embassy.” (state.gov)
Your job would also involve communicating with the host government, citizens, businesses, and schools to educate the foreign country about your country, its policies, and shared interests (state.gov). This collaboration is essential in building trust and establishing strong business relationships. Although you are a foreign worker, you will not be working by yourself or solely with other international workers.
Opportunities to work at the embassy site are also available to the citizens of the host country. As a result of the host country’s citizens being allowed to work at the embassy site, the ability to become familiar with the country’s culture and customs will be easy since you will more than likely have access to various multicultural training at your job site.
While working in the country, you will have the option of living on the site, or you can find your own place to live. Depending on how long your assignment is, you will likely become comfortable with the country’s societal views and lifestyles.
If you have strong political, religious, and cultural views, you’ll likely be able to resist completely changing your views and way of living although you’re open to understanding different cultures and engaging with the citizens during various events.
This may be during festivals, dinners, ceremonies, and other gatherings. However, during your course of employment, you have to remember the reason why you were sent to the country, and that was to analyze the situation and give a report.
What Does Your Report Say?
Now you may not have a report because you’ve been distracted with what’s going on in the country such as the crime and economic challenges. You may also be consumed with personal problems such as heartache, failures, and the desire to keep up with people who are famous or have some other attribute you aspire to have.
While there’s nothing wrong with staying abreast of news in various areas, you have to focus on the purpose of why you were sent there.
Another example of this is school. When you attend school, each student must pass each grade individually. During the process, various assignments and reports such as research papers are expected to be turned in on time. Whether an assignment or report has been completed accurately, you are still expected to fulfill the requirements in order to obtain your certificate, diploma, or degree.
Although school activities such as sport games and other events are held throughout the school year, you have to find a way to discipline yourself to study, research, and create reports, presentations, and experiments.
While you’re trying to complete these assignments, you may encounter others who want you to skip class, study in an unfocused group, or rob you of your time with what they want you to do. However, you must remember that you have deadlines to meet if you want to graduate on time.
Now there may be those who know exactly what they want to do in their life but may belittle what you want to do in your life, or what you’ve been called to do by God, but you must remember it’s your assignment, and you’re expected to complete it.
Proverbs 18:1 says … “Through desire a man having separated himself, seeketh, and intermeddleth with all wisdom.”
There is a parable in the Bible in Matthew 25:14-30 that tells about three men who were given talents before their lord went away to a far country. One man was given five talents, one was given two, and one was given one. In this analogy, the talents referred to money. The men who had five and two talents gained interest on their money, while the man who had one talent hid it in the ground.
When their lord came back from traveling, he required of them a report on how much interest they gained. The one who hid his talent was strongly rebuked. In verse 24, the man who hid his talent made up an excuse by saying …”Lord, I knew that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou has not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast is thine.”
Vs 26 says His lord answered and said unto him, … “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Unfortunately, the man was too afraid to work with his talent because he didn’t think what he had was good enough. However, if you notice in vs 15, it says that the lord gave … “to every man according to his several ability and straightway took his journey.”
Oftentimes, we can get sidetracked with comparing ourselves with others to the point we don’t value what God has given us. If you admire those who sing, and you can’t, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a talent. You may be good at encouraging people or helping them with various tasks.
II Corinthians 10:12 says … “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
There is another parable in the Bible where you will find in Luke 16:1-9 that tells about a steward who got comfortable and slacked off his job as a manager. His lord received word that the steward was wasting his resources and confronted him about it. The lord threatened to take away his position if he didn’t shape up. The steward started contacting the lord’s creditors to make deals with them to avoid being dismissed from his job.
Jesus said in John 9:4 … “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”
If you know what you’re supposed to be doing for the Kingdom of God, but find yourself distracted by others as if you were in a classroom with classmates who are talking too much, or you’re distracted by your phone, or you’re trying to get answers from someone else who is barley passing the class, it’s time for you to be strong in the Lord regarding what he’s called you to do just like a teacher who calls the roll to see who’s present and who’s absent.
When Report Card Period Comes, What will your Report Display?
Are you witnessing about Christ to others as admonish to do in Matthew 28:19-20?
Are you comforting others when they need to be comforted as encouraged to do in II Corinthians 1:4?
Are you visiting others in their time of need as reminded to do in Matthew 25:36?
Are you sharing your resources as taught to do in Isaiah 58:7?
These and other works such as working on your character traits are also important.
A lot of people have transitioned because of Covid and other unexpected ailments or events. When you’re in school, you’re given a chance to make up assignments you failed to meet during regular semester periods. Some students attend summer school or attend school an extra year to meet requirements.
If you miss insurance payments on your policy, you’re given a grace period usually about 30 days to catch up on payments to bring your policy into full effect.
The same is true in life. God is providing a grace period for you to start working on the assignment he called you to do. Don’t get distracted by others who are working on their assignments no matter how more important their work may be or appear to be.
Don’t get distracted by others who want to diminish what you’re doing. Each of us were called to do something in the Kingdom of God, but you can’t let the customs of this world trap your focus from answering when you’re called back to your home country.
Unfortunately, the specific ending date for God’s grace period is unknown. Therefore, it is imperative to work as if your deadline is today, tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. Don’t delay. Just as the time has passed quickly from the beginning of the pandemic from the latter part of 2019 until now.
What seemed to be a challenging time that moved slowly during 2020 and is still here, use your time wisely, and become a good steward as the manager did in Luke 16 because time is winding up.
It’s time to mind your own business
Romans 14:12 says … “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
No one will be able to answer for you, and you will not be able to answer for someone else.
Just like in school, if you find yourself talking too much about the wrong things, about other people, or about the negative situations in your life, hanging with the wrong people, staying busy doing things that are not spiritually productive. it’s time to come into alignment.
If you’re confused about what you’re supposed to be doing, seek the Lord.
If you haven’t been completing assignments on time and giving reports to the Kingdom such as praying on a regular basis, it’s not too late.
John 21:20-24 tells how Peter asked Jesus …”Lord, and what shall this man do?” He was referring to John after seeing him with Jesus. Jesus previously told Peter that he wanted him to feed his sheep. Jesus asked him how much did he love him? He asked Peter this three times, and Peter confirmed that he loved Jesus.
However, despite Jesus giving him an assignment, he was more concerned about what Jesus was going to have John do. Jesus answered him saying …”If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Again, he reiterated to him, then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said unto him, He shall not die; but if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?”
Jesus wanted Peter to focus on his assignment and not someone else’s. If you read further in the Gospels, you’ll see that although Peter denied Jesus three times after proclaiming his love for his great mentor prior to his death, he become one of the greatest disciples and his ministry works are written about in the book of Acts.
Just like the lord in Matthew 25 was a long time coming back to reckon with his servants regarding the profit they gained, our Lord is on his way back, and he is expecting a report about your talent gains.
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