Thought for the Day

We are admonished not to over-extend our visits to the homes of others. Frequent visits can become an invasion of privacy and destroy friendships. Some who are guilty of this are also prone to gossip and laziness. When I was young, I had a neighbor who would bring her children over to my house when she came for a visit. At first it was enjoyable, but then she started dropping by every day, wanting to talk. I soon found her to be as undisciplined as her children were. She was so intent on telling me the next thing on her mind, that she was oblivious to her children who were making a mess of my house. Eventually, I had to ask her to limit her visits, since she was preventing me from getting my work done. She ignored my request, and I was soon praying about how to deal with her intrusion into my life. If I did not have the Lord in my life, I could have ended up disliking her immensely. Paul warned Timothy of a similar problem that developed with young widows in the early Church: "Moreover, as they go about from house to house, they learn to be idlers, and not only idlers, but gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not say and talking of things they should not mention" (1 Timothy 5:12, AMP).

A busybody is someone who is always interfering in other people's affairs. My neighbor fell into that category. When she could no longer come to my house every day, she found other women who would entertain her, and she made the rounds with her gossip. Her own house was never clean because she was never home to do any work. I invited her to attend church with me, but she found it too difficult to get up on Sundays and dress her children. Eventually, she not only lost many friends, but also her husband. He grew tired of a dirty house, a wandering wife, neglected children, and not having his meals cooked on time. The Bible admonishes against being idle busybodies: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread" (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12).

If we take care of our own homes and businesses, it shuts the door for the devil having opportunity to lead us astray. I have known many women who destroyed their marriages because they would not heed this advice. Because they would not work quietly at home, they fell into sin with some seemingly godly man who was full of deceit. The Bible says to turn away from such people. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts" (1 Timothy 3:5-6).