For The Moment You're About To Complain...
...and we all have those moments. You know exactly what I mean: circumstances are against us, people are rude, if only we had (insert something bigger or better here). Perhaps things aren't going the way you planned or someone didn't follow through with something you think they should have. Maybe they didn't meet your expectations ... or maybe they did and you just don't see it that way.
We were at an event over the weekend that was a fancy affair. Two ladies were sitting at the ticket table and there weren't very many people there yet. So instead of engaging in conversation with the guests, they sat there and complained. And complained. And complained about how much they had to complain. I was grumpy myself just listening to them.
As soon as someone came over to their table, they immediately stopped their complaining, pasted a smile on their faces and spoke in sickeningly sweet voices. They took care of their visitors and then went right back to complaining. I'm not sure if they knew I could hear them, but it left a bitter taste in my ears (you know what I mean) having to listen to them. Being fake and petty only made it worse.
Complaining is easy. Fixing the situation is a challenge. That's why our flesh loves to just sit, stalled out where it is, and complain. God forbid we have to get up, talk to someone, be active in the situation, find our own way around or solve a problem on our own, right?
But as you can guess, that goes against the Scriptures.
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. James 3:8-12
The same mouth we use to praise and glorify God, we can just as easily use to complain. We have had so many blessings heaped upon us by our Lord that we should never, ever have to complain about anything. But the Bible says here in James that we will and we do. It makes me very sad that the same heart that God has blessed with so much of Himself can still be bitter and full of complaining.
I pray that this week we will each determine in our hearts to put our complaints away. Scriptures say that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. That means if we're complaining, we've got a heart problem. Those problems are easily fixable when we repent and turn them over to Lord.
After all, what do we really have to complain about? The best is yet to come!
We were at an event over the weekend that was a fancy affair. Two ladies were sitting at the ticket table and there weren't very many people there yet. So instead of engaging in conversation with the guests, they sat there and complained. And complained. And complained about how much they had to complain. I was grumpy myself just listening to them.
As soon as someone came over to their table, they immediately stopped their complaining, pasted a smile on their faces and spoke in sickeningly sweet voices. They took care of their visitors and then went right back to complaining. I'm not sure if they knew I could hear them, but it left a bitter taste in my ears (you know what I mean) having to listen to them. Being fake and petty only made it worse.
Complaining is easy. Fixing the situation is a challenge. That's why our flesh loves to just sit, stalled out where it is, and complain. God forbid we have to get up, talk to someone, be active in the situation, find our own way around or solve a problem on our own, right?
But as you can guess, that goes against the Scriptures.
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. James 3:8-12
The same mouth we use to praise and glorify God, we can just as easily use to complain. We have had so many blessings heaped upon us by our Lord that we should never, ever have to complain about anything. But the Bible says here in James that we will and we do. It makes me very sad that the same heart that God has blessed with so much of Himself can still be bitter and full of complaining.
I pray that this week we will each determine in our hearts to put our complaints away. Scriptures say that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. That means if we're complaining, we've got a heart problem. Those problems are easily fixable when we repent and turn them over to Lord.
After all, what do we really have to complain about? The best is yet to come!
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