It is a spiritual sickness, a plague from which all of mankind is suffering; namely, being a busybody in other people’s matters, bothering about things that are none of their concern, that they are not responsible for, that they have nothing whatsoever to do with, that are absolutely irrelevant to them. We find some fitting words for this in John 21:21 and 22: “What is that to you? You follow Me.” Let us use this as our motto, as our slogan! We also find a particularly good word against this widespread plague and vice of being a busybody in other people’s matters, instead of faithfully and zealously minding only our own business, in 1 Peter 4:15: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.” How indicative of how terribly wrong it is to be a busybody in other people’s matters! It is in the same category as murder and thievery!!! Murderers and thieves have also been busybodies in other people’s matters!!! And how noteworthy it is that all these people have this one thing in common: they create unnecessary sufferings for themselves! How foolish it is to be a busybody in other people’s matters and thereby create unnecessary sufferings for yourself. We have sufficient sufferings as it is. How prudent it is to deny yourself—deny yourself this fateful interference! Mind your own business! Down with prying into other people’s affairs and with the lust to judge! We have nothing to do with that. It is our business to follow Jesus with the greatest faithfulness, in both great and small things! It is my business always to be faithful in all things, in the earthly as well as in the spiritual realm. That, and only that and nothing else: that is my business! Away with everything else! Refuse it! Deny it! Judge it! Condemn it! Be radical! Then you avoid all unnecessary sufferings! Then you will always have peace and joy and wonderful rest in God! What other people say and do and neglect to do is their business and absolutely not mine! If someone treats me unjustly, it is his business. My business is glorious: namely, to accept the injustice patiently and joyfully, as well as requiting evil with good. Then I have heaven on earth. Satan also has a business: namely, to tempt me in order to get me, if possible, to fall; to get me to lose courage; and preferably to get me to give up. This is his business, which he pursues with great zeal. It is God’s business to make sure that we are not tempted beyond our ability to bear. 1 Cor. 10:13. What comfort and what a hope and guarantee for our entire future that He attends to His blessed business with perfect faithfulness! It is my business to be perfectly faithful, to stand, to overcome in all temptations, to resist Satan steadfastly so that he flees from me! It is God’s business to strengthen me, which He faithfully does when I faithfully attend to my business. It is God’s business to bless me! He never neglects to do that! In the end, He is faithful to ensure that I receive the crown of life (Jas. 1:12), because I faithfully endured and overcame in all necessary sufferings, and because I faithfully avoided unnecessary sufferings that always arise from being a busybody in other people’s matters. Therefore: Cease completely from being a busybody in other people’s matters! Do not interfere in God’s business or in other people’s business—also not in Satan’s business—but attend all the more to your own business!!!Elias Aslaksen

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15. One could believe that this was an exhortation to unbelievers, but we read previously to whom the apostle is writing. He is writing to those who know God the Father and in whom the word of God is abiding and who have overcome the wicked one. As we can see, such people need the exhortation not to love the world or the things in the world. We read in Deuteronomy 28:1: “If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I commanded you today . . . the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.” Then we read further about how God would bless them richly if they would keep all His commandments. All these blessings were an earthly glory, and in order to receive them, they had to keep God’s commandments. Now Israel was being led into a life of faith. Everyone has an ear with which to hear and to appreciate these blessings, and everyone does what he can, using various means, to lay hold of them. They usually lie, play the hypocrite, argue, and use power to gain some earthly glory; but Israel was to keep God’s commandments to gain earthly riches. They were not supposed to lie and steal, etc.; they were to believe that God would give it to them. It became evident that it was difficult for Israel to believe. They believed more in a lie and in their own strength than in God. Then we see that they came into need and turned to God, not because they loved God, but to be helped out of their earthly need. They received a tremendous earthly glory when they kept God’s commandments, and they were set above all the nations on earth. In the New Testament we have promises of a heavenly glory, but only a few people have an ear for this blessing. “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature . . . .” 2 Pet. 1:4. What does it mean to love God? It means that I love the divine nature—the virtues of Christ—the fruits of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22. However, to partake of it, I have to forsake all earthly things. What does this mean? It means that my thoughts have to be set free from them; only then can I be occupied with partaking of divine nature. The rich young man had kept the commandments and had obtained the promises. He had become very rich; nevertheless, he sensed a lack. Jesus offered him the heavenly treasure, but then he had to forsake his earthly treasures. Matt. 19:21. At this point his real attitude of mind was revealed. He wanted to have the earthly as well as the heavenly treasures. This is the mindset of most believers. When he had to choose, it became obvious that he did not love God, but he loved earthly things. In this same way many people love God because He gives them an earthly glory. This is not what it means to love God; it is to love the world and the things in the world. Paul manifests a totally different attitude of mind when he writes, “But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces patience.” Rom. 5:3. And James writes, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” Jas. 1:2-3. In other words, patience is the thing to strive for. That is divine nature; that is what our thoughts should be concerned with in all our circumstances. When it is written that all things work together for our good, it refers to those who love God. Then we read further that they are conformed to the image of His Son. Rom. 8:28-29. For this purpose all things are to work together for our good. Partaking of divine nature is the “good” for those who love God. You cannot love the world and the things that are in the world and at the same time partake of patience. Those who think they can will never partake of divine nature. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Many people praise God, and it sounds as if they love God when He gives them an earthly glory, but it is a deception.Sigurd Bratlie

One fruit of the Spirit’s work in us—when we become one with the Word—is joy. It is mentioned after love in Galatians 5:22 and is a strong companion of it. Joy increases after we have come into possession of what we have yearned for and longed to partake of. As long as a person loves money and the things of this world, he does not want what the Lord wants to give of the fruits of the Spirit; but when he is liberated from that kind of love he longs for the reality of salvation, which makes him forever happy. There is great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. In heaven they follow along with everything that God fosters on earth, and they are glad and rejoice over all of it. Those in heaven have a vision for everything that is truly great and glorious, praising Jesus “who was slain” and giving Him the honor that is due Him. We can also receive enlightened eyes of the heart so we may understand the hope of our calling, and “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance of the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,” etc. Eph. 1:17-23. Sin hides all this from people. Only after Christ has made a person alive and has given him these enlightened eyes of the heart, so he may understand all that was done and was given to him in Christ, can he depart from sin and self-life and partake of the heavenly joy that is found only in Jesus Christ. This salvation was revealed to us through the preaching of the brothers, but many are, more or less, still under the power of sin and their self-life. They rejoice in money, honor, clothing, position, etc. They do not see that unspeakably great salvation that greets them from afar and bids them welcome. Paul also says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Phil. 4:4. Then we have partaken of that heavenly joy. But that state requires something from you: it encourages you to win precious souls for God which in turn will give you great joy over everyone who truly turns to God. We must not be deceived by the greatness of the work of winning souls, but rather do the little we can willingly and joyfully, and be faithful to the Lord our God.Andreas Nilsen