Jesus Says, "Mind Your Own Business!"

 

¹⁷ He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, instinctive, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]? Peter was grieved (was saddened and hurt) that He should ask him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.
¹⁸ I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, when you were young you girded yourself [put on your own belt or girdle] and you walked about wherever you pleased to go. But when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will put a girdle around you and carry you where you do not wish to go.
¹⁹ He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. And after this, He said to him, Follow Me!
²⁰ But Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following—the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper and had said, Lord, who is it that is going to betray You?
²¹ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man?
²² Jesus said to him, If I want him to stay (survive, live) until I come, what is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?] You follow Me! John 21:17-22 Amplified Bible

I get a little tickled (that means it makes me want to giggle, in Texan) because Jesus basically tells Peter to, “Mind your own business!” He is letting him know John is His business and all Peter needs to look after is himself and make sure he is following Him! What got Peter into so much trouble? He was wondering and thinking about things that had nothing to do with him!

Have you ever wondered why God didn’t give us the ability to know what others are thinking? Why we can only assume? Unless you are operating in true discernment by the Holy Ghost, you can THINK you know something and be “dead wrong”! Only God knows a heart! When we presume to know the reasons for things and why they happened and point our fingers at where we think people made wrong choices, and if they really understand the Bible and if they truly believe what they are confessing, and do they have revelation or just knowledge like you do, you have “Peter-itis”! In other words, you have only been presumptuous not discerning! Only God knows a heart! Only God is able to judge a heart!

Notice the disciples assumed John would live forever and not die in John 21:23! Were they wrong? Yes. John is the only disciple that did not die a martyrs death, but he did die. Were they operating in discernment or assumption?

Some time back, someone said something to me about one of my loved ones. My loved one was believing for a healing. They had the scriptures on healing, had Charles Capps‘ confessions from his book “The Tongue: A Creative Force“, and had built themselves up by listening to good teachers and ministers! This healing was a process and took some time. During this time someone I will say was a “Job’s accuser” said to me, “They aren’t really believing. They can read the Bible and confess all they want to, but until they believe in their heart it isn’t happening!” No mercy at all, just cold assumption. The first thing that came to my mind was, “How do you know what they believe and what they don’t?” What we should say when someone comes right out and tells you, “I believe the word and that I am healed!” is “Amen, I agree you are!” Unless God, Himself tells me otherwise, I have no business pronouncing what they really think, have revelation of and what they don’t! I have enough trouble taking care of Juliana! I don’t have the time, wisdom, or energy to try to control you, too! That may be another sign from God that you are none of my business!

I have noticed when these “assumptions” arise, love departs! How ironic, since faith works by love, the very one assuming has just negated their own prayers by judging the faith of another! God is love, my dear reader and we need Him fully occupying our minds and lives every second! Who in their right mind would want to be without God to the fullest?? We could correctly say to these nay sayers “No matter how much you confess, read the Bible, and say you believe, your prayers won’t be answered because you don’t walk in love!” See, it is never wise to assume we know God’s business instead of tending to our own.

Stay in love, dear reader. Stay in balance and let’s let God be God and let us remain followers of the Holy Spirit!

May God’s fullest blessings be yours, precious reader! See you next time!