Let There Be No Complainers!

If we could hear a recording of our conversations for a single day, we might be amazed (and surprised) at how much we grumble and complain. We complain about the weather. Our children gripe about homework or washing the dishes. Mom complains about having to spend so much time picking up after everybody in the family. Dad comes home and makes bitter remarks about his boss at work. And so it goes the whole day through.

In the Bible, we read about the complaints of the children of Israel who had just come out of Egypt (Numbers 14:2-3). After all that God had done for them, they should have been grateful and eager to obey Him (Numbers 14:1-10). But because of their unbelief and disobedience, an entire generation never reached the Promised Land (Numbers 14:23).

In today’s world, we also have complainers who forfeit God’s blessings and spread discouragement to those around them. This type of attitude is certainly inappropriate for a follower of Christ. In fact, a “Christian” who constantly complains, is a contradiction in terms. A Christian missionary was once heard as saying, “If your father and mother, your sister and brother, yes even the very cat and dog in your house are not happier for your being a Christian, it’s a question of whether you really are one or not.

Dear reader, the questions we need to ask ourselves are: “Do my words honor the Lord?” “Do I spread joy and encourage others to trust and obey Him?” If not, it might be time to examine our attitude in the light of God’s word (2 Corinthians 13:5), and then follow the directive in Philippians 2:14-15.

Let there be no complainers!

Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets

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