Busybodies Are Not Busy

2 Thessalonians 3:11
We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.

Apostle Paul not only preached about salvation and spiritual things, but he also dwelt into day to day living of the believers. If your spirituality does not translate to how you live then it is not worth it. Your beliefs should impact and influence your conduct. That is why Apostle Paul was so many times concerned about how they lived.

When preachers focus on human conduct it is not preaching a cheap gospel. Preaching prophecies and tough doctrines that are high sounding and complicated is not a sign of maturity if the conduct of the person is not transformed. The gospel must eventually transform the conduct of a person. More than half of Apostolic concerns in the epistles were concerning the conduct of the believers. We shouldn’t ignore the conduct of the believers.

Apostle Paul had the option to just preach the pure gospel, so to speak, and hope that conduct will transform by itself. Many an extremist would say that conduct would naturally change if the right message is delivered and the people have Christ in their lives. But Paul was inspired not to wait for natural change but to challenge believers to improve their conduct.

In our text today, Paul tells the Thessalonians to be busy but not to be busybodies. A busy person is focused on what they are doing to achieve a goal. A busybody is a person who is concerned with the affairs of others. A busy person is discovering ways to make money. A busybody is discovering the sins of others. A busy person is making ends meet. A busybody is causing heartaches as people learn of the negative things they are circulating.

A busy person is working in difficulty without complaining. A busybody is blaming others for their own troubles. A busy person is making progress albeit small ones. A busybody is very active all over but making no progress at all. A busy person measures themselves by their goals. A busybody measures themselves by others they perceive they are in competition with. A busy person is competing with time to make a living and better their own life. A busybody is competing with others to be better than them.

A busy person builds a house to save on rent. A busybody builds a house because the busy person was praised for building a house. A busy person buys a car to facilitate transport. A busybody buys a car that is better than that of a busy person in order to feel like a winner and better. A busy person can help others to be like them and even better. A busybody is obsessed with the fear that someone will replace them or overtake them. A busy person has results speaking for them. A busybody has to explain their results. A busy person will develop rules to make life easy for everybody. A busybody will develop rules to target and frustrate a perceived villain.

The Bible tells us that a busybody is very active all over the church but they are not busy. They are not busy because they are not productive but destructive. They are not busy because there is nothing to show for all the activities they engage in. A busybody is not busy.

We should be busy and not be busybodies. We should have clear goals in life that we would pursue without being distracted by others. We should focus on achieving goals and not frustrating people. We should reject the temptation to see others as competitors who we need to be defeated by all means. We should reject the allure of busybodies who are always updating us on what others are doing to finish us. By the word of God today, busybodies should be banned from our circles. A busybody is not busy.

A church full of busybodies will go nowhere but will have lots of politics. It will be actively spoken about but for the wrong reasons. A church full of busybodies has no forgiveness because that would thwart plans to finish enemies. An organization full of busybodies will have no productivity but just lots of talk and discussions going nowhere, a place that is toxic. Busybodies create an impression of loyalty and commitment but remain zero on performance. Therefore since they achieve nothing, busybodies are not busy!

Dear God, It is easy to think of others as busybodies, yet, you are speaking to me. It is me who has been a busybody surrounded by busybodies. I am influenced by busybodies in my decisions. Save me from being a busybody. Save me from busybodies who show destructive allegiance(sycophants). Make me a busy and productive person in everything I do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!