Any other grumblers out there?
What is it about grumbling that God hates so much? The Israelites grumbled in the desert and He sent snakes to bite them. Yes, snakes. How much worse can the punishment be? Snakes everywhere.
Philippians 2:14-15 (ESV)
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
I have been giving grumbling some thought. You see, I am a grumbler. Or I have spent a great deal of time and energy being a grumbler. I am trying…..
- Grumbling is ungratefulness and discontent. We grumble because we don’t have what we want or we don’t get our way. It seems that practicing thanksgiving should help immunize us against the temptation to grumble.
- Grumbling shows lack of obedience to God. It is a symptom that shows we are not happy with how He has arranged things and we want EVERYONE to know about it. It shows that we may be doing what He is asking, but on the inside we are mad and resisting. There is a story about that circulates about a little boy being made to stand when he didn’t want to. His response? “I may be standing up on the outside, but on the inside I am still sitting down.”
- Grumbling is dissention. Grumbling shows we are not in agreement with each other because we are not in agreement with God. It is both a result of conflict and a source of conflict. It reveals a lack of love, mercy, patience, and kindness toward one another. This discontent and dissention leads of anger and quarreling and conflict
- Grumbling is the opposite of rejoicing. Joy comes from faith, trust, and gratitude. Joy transcends circumstances to revel in God and His grace.
I have spent much of my life discontented and grumbling. It has brought about contention in my spirit. If you can learn early to trust God and be content, you will have redeemed so much of your life from bad attitudes and the lack of joy and peace. The sooner you learn this, the further ahead you will be.
Grumbling keeps us from shining as lights. To be a light we must reflect our trust in God. Discontent is not trust. It is distrust. It says “God can not be trusted and I am not getting my way and you will hear about it.” Let your light shine.