M.Y.O.B.

Proverbs 26:17
He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own
Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

How many times has your momma told you to mind your own business? Hundreds or thousands for me. When you’re a nosey little boy you will be told this many times. What is so funny to me now is I often yell this phrase out on my bus. I don’t say it like my momma used to tell me though. I just yell, “M.Y.O.B!” Then my kids on the bus say, “What does that mean?” Mind. Your. Own. Business.

Daily you can ride with me and hear, “She’s talking about me, He’s staring at me, They won’t stay out of my conversation!” Then I usually have someone jump in and try to solve to problem. You know that person that sticks in their two foot long nose... I always tell them to M.Y.O.B. You don’t know what you are talking about and you don’t want to get involved.

God’s Word explains it much better than I can. He says a “person that walks by and meddles in a quarrel not his own...” First of all this isn’t talking about a person who walks by and sees an argument or fight and tells them to just keep walking. No, He says that a person that sees a quarrel and wants to “meddle” in it. In the south I hope that I don’t have to explain what meddling means.

Last of all, God says the person who passes by and meddles in a quarrel that’s “not his own is like a person who takes a dog by the ears.” I don’t know about you but I don’t think grabbing a dog by its ears would end well. It may just come back to bite you. So, what is the conclusion we should come to? Let me spell it out like our scripture teaches us this morning... M.Y.O.B.