December 8
December 8
It is a good and godly thing to mind your own business.
Perhaps now more than ever, we need to heed the apostle Paul’s counsel to the believers in Thessalonica:
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thess. 4:9–12)
Having commended them for their love for one another and encouraging them to love more and more, Paul calls these believers to a life that many of us have forsaken. He calls them to three things, which we tend to forget or ignore. Paul tells them to “live quietly,” “mind your own affairs,” and “work with your hands.” I love the deep street-level, heart-protecting, and productive nature of Paul’s counsel. Remember, because God has chosen to record and preserve this counsel, it is not just for the Thessalonian believers. It is for us as well.
I want to make one application of Paul’s counsel to our current cultural setting. For many of us, social media dictates how we spend our time, and it dominates how we act, react, and respond to others. Social media could be defined as the place where you go not to live quietly. The power of social media is that it gives you a voice—and it rewards loud voices. It encourages you to weigh in and to make your presence and opinion known. Social media encourages you to live loudly, and it rewards you if you do.
You do not go to social media to mind your own affairs. No, social media encourages you to mind other people’s business. It rewards you for sticking your nose into things that might have nothing to do with you. It tempts you to follow battles and weigh in on controversies, becoming part of the dissatisfied and angry mob. It gives you the false impression that you’re a part of something, when in reality your involvement is just a bunch of keyboard clicks. Two things result when we fail to live quietly and to stay out of others’ affairs. First, if your attention is dominated by the business of others, then you are not investing time in examining your own heart and life, in confessing what has been revealed, in seeking God’s forgiveness, and in surrendering yourself once more to him. This harms your spiritual growth and worship. Second, the time you invest in social media takes you away from developing and using the gifts God has given you, and employing them in the work he has given you.
Godliness is a life of quiet rest in the Lord, of gospel self-attention, and of humble and faithful work. Is your life shaped by Paul’s counsel?