If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. [1 Peter 4:14-15 (ESV)]
The store was called “Ms. Bossy Boots” and the sign in the window said, “I’m not bossy, I’m just helpful.” Having just had an encounter with a precocious youngster who’d been wearing some very bossy boots, I laughed. After advising me that I needed to put televisions in all my bedrooms, she informed me we couldn’t sell our house because she didn’t want new neighbors! She announced her disapproval of the appetizers, questioned the dinner menu, told me jam should be served with the bread, and criticized the vegetables. Following dinner, I was advised that any remaining cookies should be packed up for her. In a younger child, her behavior might have been slightly excusable. At her age, however, it was demanding and ill-mannered. Over-indulged by her mother and grandparents, she has not learned that it is the meek who will inherit the earth.
Most of us don’t behave like impertinent children but that doesn’t mean we aren’t meddlesome or bossy; we’re just more subtle than that cheeky little girl. When we put on our bossy boots, we excuse ourselves by saying we’re being helpful, interested, or supportive. If anyone had the right to interfere, it was Jesus but He refused to intervene when asked to settle a dispute about an inheritance. Because rabbis often resolved disagreements, it wasn’t such an odd request. Nevertheless, our Lord, knowing what constituted His business and what didn’t, refused to get involved. He did, however, take that opportunity to teach about greed.
We were told, “Mind your own business,” when we tattled in school and, “Keep your eyes on your own paper!” when taking tests. Keeping our mouths shut and our eyes on our own business remains good advice today. Far too often, our “helpfulness” is really just an excuse to be bossy or stick our noses into somebody else’s affairs. Soon we’re just a word away from engaging in gossip and self-righteousness while telling others how much we are doing, solving or repairing and how well we are doing it. The Apostle Peter lumps meddlers in with thieves, murderers and other criminals and Proverbs likens meddling to grabbing a dog by the ears. Whether we call it helping, tweaking, or enlightening, it’s wise to remember that just a few inches away from a dog’s ears are some pretty sharp teeth. Eventually, meddling will turn around and bite us!
There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors. [Deuteronomy 15:11 (MSG)]
When touring a nearby resort town, a beautiful old mansion was pointed out. It was once owned by a man who made so much money on his invention of the sanitary milk bottle cap that he retired at the age of 26. For 93 years, the Chicago White Sox played at a ball field named for the team’s founder. In 2003, the field was renamed US Cellular Park and then, in 2016, it became the Guaranteed Rate Field. When I went to Northwestern University, the football venue was named for a former Evanston mayor. In 1997, the stadium was renamed to honor the family of a generous donor to the school’s athletic facilities. A friend’s daughter is attending a school named for a German immigrant who opened a Chicago butcher shop in 1883. Who were these men?
All they did was sin even more, rebel in the desert against the High God. They tried to get their own way with God, clamored for favors, for special attention. They whined like spoiled children, “Why can’t God give us a decent meal in this desert? Sure, he struck the rock and the water flowed, creeks cascaded from the rock. But how about some fresh-baked bread? How about a nice cut of meat?” [Psalm 78:17-20 (MSG)]
As we watched the helicopters fly through the sky, we could see the water buckets hanging under them. Once the copters were in position, hoping to extinguish the forest fire, the crews would open the dump valve and empty water on the flames below them. The helicopters flew back and forth all afternoon as they refilled their buckets from the glacial lakes. If the helicopters are too low or slow in dropping the water, the water will be too concentrated to work effectively and, rather that put out the flames, the rotors’ downwash will intensify it. Even though those buckets can carry as much as 2,600 gallons of water, to those of us on the ground, it seemed a little like a mop bucket was being used to extinguish a house fire. Nevertheless, the firefighters continued their valiant fight against the blaze.
Devotions of the Heart 