II Thessalonians 3:12
“Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”
Paul is addressing some in the Thessalonianica church who are leading an undisciplined life. They weren’t working and were acting like busy bodies. They were substituting drama and gossip in place of work. Their actions were producing much smoke and heat.
Paul tells them to change their lifestyle. Instead of drama, work in a quiet fashion. Their lives were anything, but quiet. In our day, the “Housewives shows” consist much of that. Lots of action and gossip. Guys have their issues, too. Some of the increase in homelessness is a disdain of work. Also, there are freeloading guys that will attach themselves to hardworking partners and leach off them.
John the Baptist demonstrated the humility required to accept a quiet life. When asked about Jesus and His developing ministry, he answered, “He must increase, but I must decrease”, (John 3:30). His ministry was fading, however there wasn’t any jealousy; he didn’t fight to retain it.
When we seek to force our significance, tension is produced. Like the “busybodies” that Paul addressed. They weren’t gaining their significance by the proper means, work, so they were going about putting their noses in the business of others.
Our lives ebb and flo. Some seasons are exciting with great results, while other seasons feel more like pruning. It feels like more of a decrease than growth. This isn’t bad. Pruning is a cutting back to prepare for greater growth next season.
We can panic in these times. We seek to hold onto the bountiful seasons. We can act in ways that aren’t considerate of others. We fear we are losing what’s ours.
We need to trust and rest as the tide goes out. God loves us and has our best in mind. We need not fear, but to allow the sand to slip between our hands. This is an opportunity to trust and allow the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts.
Lord, thank You for being in control of our circumstances and for working it all out for the good. Help us to work hard and to be content with a quiet life.