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1997-01-13
- Murmuring
Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without murmuring"
There is a well known statement that a grouch always looks as if he were
weaned on a pickle. Recently someone wanted me to complain about something
and join their "cause". I would agree with them in their cause, but the last
thing I wanted to do was complain. The thought of complaining only made me
more thankful for the thing I was being asked to grumble about. Grumbling
is something we all do more than we should. Sometimes grumbling is needed,
most of the times it is sour grapes. Often grumbling is done because we want
what someone else has or we want something better than we currently have.
It happens in various forms, but it might be summed up best with the phrase
"if only". If only I had more money, I could really serve you Lord. If only
I had not made this or that decision, I could be a useful servant in your
kingdom Lord. If only you had created me with the stamina that so and so
has, I could do more things for you at church Lord. If onlys are pathetic.
And yet we all have if onlys. Some of us thrive in the land of if only. If
only is the land of excuse.
We need to hear the words of Charles Haddon Spurgeon and let them resonate
in our heads. He says, "Ten minutes praying is better than a year of murmuring".
What have we ever gotten from complaining about our situation? I have gotten
nothing, in fact I have learned that discontent breeds discontent. We need
a higher standard than this. Our Christian profession should be adorned with
an appropriate temperament. Some thoughts:
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God's commands are to be obeyed cheerfully. OK, this is a hard statement.
It is even harder if we think about it. Do you love the Lord with all your
heart, soul and being? Really? Well, our affections are divided, that is
life, but our aim should be to love the Lord so that every aspect of our
existence is a service of love to Christ. To be a servant of Christ is a
reward in and of itself. The payment for being a servant of Christ is to
be a servant of Christ. Last week I hired someone to work were I work. When
he learned what he would be doing, he commented that even if there was no
pay he would still like the job. That is precisely the attitude that we should
have in our Christian life. Serving Christ is its own reward. There is true
freedom in our "real" task.
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Let us be at peace with one another. Being at peace with each other is more
than we usually make of it. Being at peace means I don't comment about how
nice your car is in a way that implies you have no right to own it. Being
at peace means I do not comment on how spiritual so and so is with the
implication that he must be faking it. These are the subtle forms of murmuring
that haunt us. We must ask the Lord to work in our hearts so that we can
begin to grumble less and encourage more.
"Murmuring is a time-destroying-sin." Thomas Brooks
"If we growl all day
we shouldn't be surprised if we end up dog tired at night!" Vance Havner
Soli Deo Gloria,
T-
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