Being a Body That's Busy, Not Busybodies!

"We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good." (2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 NIV)

For a person who lacks sufficient comprehension skills, Paul's instructions almost seem to contradict themselves. But the difference between being a Body (or a body) that's busy and not a busybody is the end result. A Body (or body) that's busy gets things accomplished, busybodies create destructive and chaotic environments.

Let's look at The Body of Christ--are we who we claim to Believe and follow Jesus Christ busy doing what He has asked us to do? Are looking after the needs of others--or are we turning up our noses at those in need?

Looking after the needs of others doesn't necessarily mean we go into our pockets every time someone approaches us on the street corners or even those who are sitting by roadsides. In all things we must exercise wisdom--seeking Him to determine who we give a hand-out because every hand-out is not a hand-up and the goal of the Believer should be to provide a hand-up. I've been in situations in which Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about helping people and even when I thought I couldn't afford (financially) to do so, I did what I was told to do. I believe that when we obey, God always takes care of our needs. I do not give money to every person who asks for it, but when someone says they are hungry, if there is a restaurant nearby, I'll take them in and buy them whatever they want. On a number of occasions, I was told to give money and I did, but what I noticed is that those to whom I gave money, were working people and they didn't ask me for anything.

Are we ministering to the needs of those who are either locked up or locked in? Those who are in prisons may be locked up, but that doesn't mean they should be locked out of hearing the gospel. And the same is true for those who are locked into the own sense of nothingness and need someone to guide them in the right direction.

This is what a busy Body (or body) does, but the busybody--is always getting into other people's business. This group or person seldom accomplishes anything other than chaos and bitterness. They ask questions that don't need to be asked, they try to give advice when they don't have a clue as to how to govern their own lives, and they always carry the latest tidbit of gossip, expanding what they hear for the sake of sensationalism--blowing things out of proportion. That's the busybody.

If we look around at the world today, we see the busybodies--in the church and outside the church, but we tend to ignore the busy Body (or body) that is actually doing all they can to do what Jesus says to do. If Believers are ever going to make a difference in our society, we must practice being busy--accomplishing good things that honor God--and not being busybodies that only ignite confusion and destruction because the only thing they're busy doing is trying to find ways to create chaos.

Now, we all have a decision to make and our decision will determine who we hear. Are we a Body of people that are busy or are we idle busybodies exercising our tongues instead of our hands?