Part 1 - Whose Bread Are You Chewing On?

This is the first in a series of what was laid on my heart during my 11 day trip to TN.  I spent some time doing studies while there and felt impressioned to share this.


2Th 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

There have been a lot of times when I think I did some people disservice.  I simply didn't say anything when it should have been said and then said things when the time just wasn't right or it wasn't any of my business to be saying it in the first place.  What I'm going to discuss in this post however, is the times I should have told some people "Whose Bread Are You Chewing On!?"

I've lost count of how many times others have asked us why we are not in Bible College anymore, how much our rent is, how much does my husband make, how much house money I get and so on.  Things that someone has no business in knowing about another but is simply being a busybody.  Those that ask such intrusive questions into the lives of another are idle, not eating their own bread but totally consumed with the affairs of others and it shows by their own lives being in disarray.

There are some characteristics of those who are chewing on other's bread:
  1. Idleness - they are so busy chewing on your bread that they neglect their own.  Their homes are usually messy, sometimes along with their self care as well, children are neglected and husbands are denied due benevolence, hot dinners and so forth.
  2. Gossip - they chew on so many different loaves of other's business that they have to share their tidbits with others.
  3. Moochers - since they don't use thrift because they don't have time to research how, they seem to mooch off everyone else.  They are always in a bind asking for money from weak people, never able to take care of their own.
  4. Sloths - they don't work, they are lazy like a sloth loathing around.  They suck the life and money out of others who do work and are generally those that love government assistance and anything that can help them stay a sloth.  
  5. Drama Queens - since they are so full of other's business, they tend towards drama and contention.  They relish the excitement of strife, division, discord, accusations and seeing others harmed and delighting in the downfall of others.  
Places to chew on other's bread:
  1. Facebook - one of the main sources for the meddler.  Facebook is full of juicy gossip, slander and is a trough full of other's bread to chew on and allows the busybody to be engrossed in other's affairs every single day.  
  2. Blogs - another way to soak up juicy tidbits about others, feed off the lies, gossip and destroy another's reputation.  I'm talking about blogs that are created for the purpose of talking about other people - naming them - banding together to chew on other's bread.  They do it in the guise of thinking they doing it for Christ but that's impossible since their blogs are full of gossip and they feast daily at the enemies table of strife, contention, bitterness and rehashing events from the past.  Truly a place to chew the cud so to speak.
  3. House to House - the busybody goes from house to house gathering and spewing out other's affairs with relish.  You won't find her at home LOL - no way!  She is busy being a gadabout and has no time for her own home unless its being at home on the internet chewing on someone else's freshly baked loaf.
  4. Church - sadly a lot of busybodies are performing their operations in the house of God!  They ask you intrusive questions, put you on the spot and put a pious face on as if they are just concerned.  Inside they are waiting to catch something from your mouth to chew on and spit out elsewhere.
Things the busybody DOES NOT possess:
  1. Christianity - how could she being filled with such evil thoughts, a heart of envy, laziness and all the other things contrary to what God says a Christian is made up of.
  2. Love - love covers a multitude of sins, it doesn't expose them.  Love thinks no evil, it doesn't envy, and doesn't seek to harm its own - all things that the busybody constantly does.
  3. Forgiveness - instead of forgiving, the busybody keeps a lists of wrongs.  The hardest thing for her to do is say she is sorry and even if she does muster up the words - it isn't sincere.  Her favorite motto is "Forgive, but don't Forget".  
  4. Industry - she never gets any better, has nothing to show that her hands have done or made and has no purpose in life that is worthy of reward.  Sadly, the busybody is usually a 'homekeeper' but that is an oxymoron because she is rarely home, either bodily or mentally.
  5. Peace - the busybody doesn't want peace, she gets off on contention.  Having her mind full of other's affairs and not being concerned of her own, she can never truly feel the peace that comes with eating one's own bread.
  6. Money - most of the time the busybody is broke or always struggling.  She wastes, is not frugal and her hand is a never ending handout snatcher.  She is the first in line for free anything and calls up the unsuspecting to lay her sympathy ploy in hopes to have others pay what her idleness created.
  7. Functional Family - with children and husband being neglected, her family isn't going to last and if it does, it will be dysfunctional.  With a wasteful, slothful woman who is chewing on other's bread and neglecting her own - she destroys her own family.