SBS_V_378_Eng Released May 22, 2021
2 Corinthians 4:18 | Mark 6:37-38 | Galatians 6:9 | 1 Corinthians 3:6
Mind your own business–it’s not your job!
Many of us are used to immediate, visible consequences. Leave the door open, the cat gets out. Leave your room messy, get an earful from an adult. Order it online, get it on your doorstep tomorrow.
As such, we look for immediate, visible consequences when deciding to obey God. So when God prompts us to step out and do something–especially something we’re not hyped about–we expect an immediate reward. But that’s not part of the deal.
While obeying does offer immense rewards, they typically don’t come with same-day shipping. You might wait longer than two days for said awards to arrive…maybe even over two weeks!
Can you wait that long? What if you only see rewards in Heaven? Can you be faithful under those circumstances?
For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:18b NLT
If it’s any consolation…though you may have to wait ‘forever’ for them, those rewards will last forever.
On the other hand, results may vary. Sometimes you might see them right away. Consider how Jesus fed the 5,000 person crowd without a catering company. His disciples asked him to send the crowd away to get something to eat.
But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”
“How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out. They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
Mark 6:37-38 NLT
The disciples were skeptical, but they obeyed when Jesus told them to check their food supply. Then they had people sit in groups, just as he told them. Jesus did the rest.
They didn’t know it, but Jesus was setting those disciples up to witness a miracle. He just wanted them to do their part–and believe that if they did, it would be enough.
Certainly, when they saw how little food they had, some disciples were like, “Told you we couldn’t do it, Jesus!” But they just needed to mind their own business…because doing miracles was his job, not theirs!
Thankfully, they got to see the result of their obedience because the time was right to see it. But that is not always the case. God’s timing is perfect…but it’s not public. Can you keep obeying anyway?
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Galatians 6:9 NLT
You can if you remember who makes things grow, who gives the increase. (Duh–it’s God!) Would you plant an apple tree expecting your own efforts to make it sprout? Would you expect to form the apples in your hands and hang them from each limb? If you did, would you expect them to taste good and have seeds you could make into new trees?
I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6 NLT
If you did, you would be in for bitter disappointment. Your job is to plant the seed in a favorable spot and water it occasionally. And don’t kill the seedling with the mower! Because, as we all know, only God can make a tree.
So mind your own business and obey God. Do your part–it’s enough!–because that’s your job. He gives the increase.
Questions for Group Discussion
- When have you been fortunate enough to see the results of your obedience to God? How was your attitude toward obeying? Were you excited to do it, or not?
- Have you been disappointed by a lack of visible results after obeying one of God’s commands or promptings? Does this affect your faith in some way?
Application: Playing God
A movie producer was once quoted about how he got a certain actor in his movie. He said, “I knew the guy always wanted to play God, so I called him up and asked him to do it in my movie!”
Now it’s your turn. Suppose you were God, and someone asked you, “How does it make you feel when someone obeys you, even though they’re not sure what the result might be?”
- Write down your answer to the question above.
- Be as verbose or succinct as you like!
- Add other related questions and answers, if you think of them.
- Check your answers to see how they mesh with scripture.
- Adjust your responses to line up with scripture.
Remember: You are not God, and these answers are not his Word. But you can learn a lot about your own attitude and understanding of God by comparing your responses to scripture. You can also learn a lot about God!
