“Do all things without murmurings and disputings, so that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. Among these you shine as lights in the world” - (Phi 2:14-15)

MAN IS A NATURAL COMPLAINER

God gives us everything we need to have, a million things we want to have, yet we still complain about the one thing we don’t have.  Workers complain about their jobs and bosses, children complain about their parents and their siblings, wives and husbands complain about their marriage, even Christians complain about their churches and pastors.  God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt.  Not long after that they were complaining about the lack of a variety of food.  Apparently slavery is better than mediocre food!  The grumbling hasn’t stopped today.  Man is a wretched complainer.  If you want to be a better Christian, be thankful for your imperfect marriage, your imperfect church, your imperfect spouse, your imperfect children, and your imperfect job.  They may be imperfect to you, but they are perfect for you.  Our Lord does not always give us what we want, but what we need.

SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY

Complaining is a sign of spiritual immaturity.  A lack of faith is shown.  If I trust God - that He has my best in mind, why do I throw my tantrums as if He is wants nothing more than to see us suffer?  Discontentment and covetousness are shown - a person doesn’t complain about what he or she does have and what is going right, but what he or she does not have and what isn’t going right.  A complainer cannot accept God’s will.  He is always trying to accomplish and pursue his own will and he’s not going to shut up until he gets it!  He or she cares nothing of what the Lord desires.

PRAISING VS COMPLAINING

Do you know what the opposite of complaining is?  What is the opposite of grumbling about what the Lord hasn’t given to you?  Well… it’s rejoicing about what He has given you – this is called… PRAISE!  The opposite of complaining is praise.  A person that praises God doesn’t complain, and a person that complains doesn’t praise.  One man rejoices and testifies of God’s grace and another complains that God has dealt him a terrible hand.  If you want to find out if you are a “praiser” or a “complainer”, ask yourself, “Do I testify of the great things God has done for me, or do I tell people that I’ve been dealt a bad hand?”  Do you tell them how God has blessed you first, or are you quick to jump to talk about everything that’s wrong?

REJOICE

As believers let’s start honoring our God by rejoicing, praising, and giving thanks.  Let’s let our offerings of thanks outweigh our talks of our problems.  Let us present our problems to God with a thankful heart knowing that everything He keeps from our grasp is for our own good.  Realize that there are three answers from God to our requests – “Yes”, “Wait”, or “I have something better”.  When we get the answer, “I have something better,” we say to Him, “Thank you, Father.  I accept that gladly.”