It can be stressful if we are always trying to control people or circumstances in life. As Joyce shows us, one of the ways we can relieve that stress, is by minding our own business, doing what God has for us, and not looking at what others around us have.
it’s also pride that causes us to feel
that we must always give our opinion
about things
that are actually none of our business
you know there’s three scriptures just
as plain as they can be
that tell us to mind our own business
so
how many of you kind of like to get into
other people’s business
come on i don’t want one of these
down here things how many of you like
dave and i used to live next door to a
single man that owned a
a big house and
we just couldn’t figure out why this
single guy wanted a house with four
bedrooms in it it’s like you know
what a waste of money
now keep in mind we didn’t even know
this guy’s first name
but
one day we’re driving out and
so dave david i said well maybe he did
it for an investment and then
the other one said
well but he could have found a lot
better investments than that because
he’s got to take care of this big place
and so we spent maybe 10 minutes
planting this guy’s financial future
and we didn’t even know his name
can i tell you that in romans 14 the
bible says that every man will give an
account of himself
god’s not going to ask you about anybody
else
not going to ask you about your husband
i’m going to ask you about your kids
your friends
he’s going to ask you about you
and another way we can keep a lot of
stress out of our life
now come on
another way we can keep a lot of stress
out of our life is just by staying out
of other people’s business
you don’t even need to have an opinion
where you don’t have any responsibility
not even an opinion well i think well i
think
well nobody cares what you think
and nobody wants to know what you think
the only time we really should give an
opinion is if it’s asked for
and then we need to do it carefully
ii thessalonians 3 11 for we hear that
some among you walk in idleness
not busy at work but being busy bodies
first thessalonians 4 11
and to aspire to live quietly and to
mind your own affairs
and to work with your own
hands
and first peter 4 15
but let none of you suffer as a murderer
or a thief or an evil doer or as a
meddler
you know what i think it’s interesting
about that
a meddler
is in a list with murderer thief
and evildoer
i just noticed it today i thought wow
those are heavy hitters
you know most of us wouldn’t think that
being a little nosy was a problem
but
i mean it’s right up there with a bunch
of
serious stuff
sometimes i have to say to myself joyce
it’s none of your business it’s none of
your business it’s none of your business
come on anybody besides me ever have a
problem with this
no this doesn’t mean we never
correct a person who’s in sin or try to
help them in any way but there’s a
difference in genuinely trying to help
somebody and trying to get into their
business when you don’t need to
great example in john 21 beginning in
verse 18.
this is jesus talking to peter
truly truly i say to you when you were
young
you used to dress yourself and walk
wherever you wanted to go but when you
are old you will stretch out your hands
and another will dress you and carry you
where you do not want to go
so he’s given peter the
the heads up that
things are going to be a little more
difficult for him in life now than they
have been
and i don’t think that he was talking
about young in years i think he was
talking about when you were younger in
the lord
and you know when you’re younger in the
lord
to be honest
you do pretty much just do what you want
to do and pray for god to bless it
and a lot of times he does for a period
of time because he’s establishing a
father child loving relationship with
you
but just like
when our own children grow up we don’t
want to have to keep
taking care of them all the time we want
a transition to come at some point where
they say mom dad what can i do for you
and so
jesus is saying when you were young
you pretty much did what you wanted to
but things are going to change now and
i’m going to lead you into some things
that
may not be the most fun for you but it’s
what i need
and
in verse 19 it says this he said to show
by what kind of death he was going to
glorify god you know peter was crucified
upside down on the cross
and then after saying that he just said
to him follow me now peter just needed
at that point to say yes lord
but
peter turned and saw the disciple whom
jesus loved
that happened to be john
john wrote the book of john
and he referred to himself
over and over as i am the disciple whom
jesus loved
now
i know peter’s personality well enough
to know that that just got all over him
yeah you’re the disciple of him jesus i
mean you know these were people just
like we are i mean it’s even a little
bit aggravating to me to hear john say
that so i can imagine how peter felt
about it
and i mean these guys had problems just
like we would have problems if we were
in a group they were jealous of each
other they competed with each other
and i think that knowing peter’s
personality that he probably just had a
hard time with all the ooey gooey
you know
john laid on jesus breast
dinner and they just had this great
loving relationship and you know peter
always wanted to run the show so
he’s gotten the bad news that things are
going to be a little hard for him
toward the end he sees john
and he’s and he says
when peter saw him he said
jesus what about this man
what’s what’s going to happen to him
well you know we’re not really good at
it if we’re having a hard time and
everybody else is having a good old time
at least if we’re going to be miserable
we’d like some of our friends to be
miserable with us
and jesus said verse 22
if it’s my will that he remains until i
come what is that to you you follow me
so jesus just told peter
mind your own business now think about
it for a minute
we’re having a problem we’ve been having
a problem for a long time maybe you’re a
single girl and you haven’t had a date
in 12 years
and
your friend who’s not nearly as
attractive as you are in your opinion
[Applause]
she just can’t beat the guys off with a
stick they’re just after her all the
time and so
you don’t like it
and you love her with the love of the
lord but you don’t really like her
how many of you know about that i love
you with the love of the lord i can’t
stand you but i love you with the love
of the lord okay
and
all you have to do
you don’t have to try to figure out why
you haven’t had a date and she has
you have to tell god how unfair it is
you just have to remember that god has
a personalized
individualized
perfect plan for each one of us
and we might as well just quit looking
at other people trying to figure out why
we don’t have what they have
pastors can get into the same thing
get jealous of another pastor because
he’s got
a bigger church and
you’ve got this and you’ve got that yeah
yeah yeah you know
you know anybody that’s successful is
always going to have a certain amount of
people that aren’t going to like him
and you know why
jealousy
just plain
jealousy
so i’m just going to say it the sweetest
kindest nicest way that i know how to
mind your own business
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