II Thessalonians 3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
No matter your station or age, you are probably busy. You probably have more to do than you can possibly do. We think of busyness almost as a virtue in this country. People brag about how little sleep they receive. They talk about how many places they have gone, how many miles they have driven, how many sermons they have preached, or how many widgets they have made. Busyness seems to be a virtue, and I think it can sometimes stand in as a substitute for things we really want, things like significance and usefulness. It is worthy of noting that there is a difference between busyness and productivity.
What am I actually producing? Busyness will find you, but you must take the initiative to find productivity, to use your energies to serve God and to help others. The question is, “How am I using my energy?” Oddly enough, people that are busy are not necessarily productive.
II Thessalonians 3:11 says, “For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.” So, they weren’t working, but they were busy. They were busy gossiping, worrying about other people, and thinking, “What about them and what about me?” They were busy, but they weren’t actually working.
God groups the same category of people with those who were idle. Verse 12 says, “Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” So, how am I using my energy? There are two words that stand out to me.
The first word is “quiet.” “With quietness they work.” That is God’s ideal. It is the mark of a professional. I remember some ranch horses at a Wyoming rodeo a few years ago. I was struck by their sheer power and speed, but I was also impressed by how quiet the riders on their backs were. Just a slight movement of the hand and those horses were off to the races. They were under complete control.
I have noticed that really gifted singers may just barely open their mouths, but there is a torrent of volume that comes out. They are quiet in the sense that they are not wasting energy. God would have us to stop looking around, worrying about what others are doing, and gossiping about them. He would have us to be quiet and focused.
A second word that comes to mind is “own,” as in ownership and focus. Paul says, “With quietness they work, and eat their own bread.” It is not someone else’s, but their own. In I Thessalonians 4:11 it says, “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.” We have hands; we have work, and we ought to own that.
When the Lord Jesus told Peter about his future, Peter said about John, “What shall this man do?” Jesus answered, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.” So, I need to take ownership. I need to work quietly. I need to not to worry about everyone and everything else. And, in essence, I need to pull my own weight. Verse 8 says, “Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you.”
Being a busybody is a cousin to being idle. We are not to be idle today. Nor are we to merely spin our wheels with great fury. We are to do something that makes a difference, honors God, uses our gifts, and blesses other people. The Bible says, “Study to be quiet, and to do your own business.” Today, we honor God when we help others, and we help others when we work quietly with our own hands, eat our own bread, pull our own weight, and glorify God.