Business Management 101

There’s another type of “business management” in today’s text quite different from that taught in business schools. Instead of accounting, finance, marketing and management principles, the text teaches how to live an orderly and disciplined life as a believer.

Paul tells the Thessalonians to do three things: live a quiet life (live peacefully, free of drama and rowdiness), mind their own business (abstain from nosiness and gossip) and work with their own hands (provide for their own livelihood). Each condition is intertwined with the other to create a positive, thriving and nonjudgmental environment within the faith community.

Of the three disciplines, minding one’s own business, was and remains an especially important attribute for the faith community. The failure to manage or contain our interest in the activities of others leads to judgmental attitudes, gossip and character assassinations.

Minding other people’s business is never good but even if begins with genuine concern, it goes askew when fueled by self-righteousness instead of empathy and compassion. As is often the case, if we do a more effective job of managing our own business, we could establish a better standard for others to emulate. The best correction comes from how we live, not by what we say.

In the end, the best lesson to be learned in BM 101 is to master our own standard of living with greater holiness and righteousness. When that happens, we are mastering the fundamentals of our faith. Even more, how we conduct business amongst ourselves is a living testimony of our faith and character before non-believers.