{"id":504,"date":"2019-07-22T11:08:39","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T16:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/?p=504"},"modified":"2019-07-22T11:08:39","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T16:08:39","slug":"remember-to-not-grumble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/remember-to-not-grumble\/","title":{"rendered":"Remember\u2026 to not Grumble"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I felt like the Israelites in the desert the other day. While nothing major went wrong in my day there were a bunch of small mishaps that got me complaining and grumbling about one thing after the other. As I laid down that evening I reflected on my day and wondered what I had missed by grumbling. I wondered what I had robbed my family of experiencing by my complaining. I vowed to be better the next day.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Grumbling is too easy<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is easy for me to point my finger at the Israelites and call out their sin. God had just miraculously delivered them from Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler on the globe, and He had done it in spectacular and humbling ways. Yet, the people quickly moved from praise and thanksgiving to complaining, murmuring and quarreling. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No water, Moses! Where\u2019s the beef, Moses? I have blisters on my feet, Moses. Who died and made you boss? Are we there yet, Moses<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?\u201d It was almost as if the Israelites had experienced spiritual amnesia! How quickly they had forgotten their gracious and miraculous deliverance! <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1]<\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As I look at my own life, I see a journey riddled with incredible provision. Yes, there have been challenges and, yes, there has been heartache, but my God has been oh so good to me. And yet, day after day, I fight to push back the complaining about traffic, dinner options, technology speed, neighbors\u2019 parking habits, and many other trivial things. It\u2019s too easy to give in to grumbling. It\u2019s the cheap, sinful way out. We\u2019ve got to strive to be better than that. Like the Israelites, how quickly I too can forget God\u2019s provision and deliverance!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>God doesn\u2019t like grumbling<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn\u2019t take long to see in the Bible that God is not a big fan of grumbling and complaining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miriam complained and was struck with leprosy. (Numbers 12)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Korah, Datham, and Abiram complained, and God literally created an earthquake and swallowed them up! (Numbers 16)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adam complained (Genesis 3:12), Cain complained (Genesis 4:5), Moses complained (Exodus 3-4), David complained (Psalms 2:1; 12:1-2; 22:1), and each time God had a poignant response.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later in Scripture we are challenged specifically to restrain from grumbling:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Philippians 2:14-15: Do everything without complaining or arguing\u2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Peter 4:9: Offer hospitality without grumbling\u2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">James 5:9: Don\u2019t grumble about one another brothers and sisters\u2026<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, we read over and over that God desires for us to love, forgive, and be thankful.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Thessalonians 5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God\u2019s will for you in Christ Jesus.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ephesians 4:29: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But why? Why is complaining bad, and why does God dislike it from His people?<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>What my complaining says to God<\/h4>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My complaining and grumbling make a statement about what I believe about God.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When I grumble, I am saying that God is not faithful, that He is not enough, and that He doesn\u2019t love me enough. My complaining says God hasn\u2019t provided enough for me to be happy, thankful, and joyful \u2013 instead my needs aren\u2019t being met.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My complaining says my ways are better than God\u2019s ways.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I grumble, I am saying that my plans in this moment would be better than the plans God has given me. \u201cIf only I had it this way!\u201d In a sense I am worshipping a false God\u2026 named me. My discontent says God\u2019s means aren\u2019t enough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My complaining reveals my sinful heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God hates sin, and complaining and grumbling are sinful. It\u2019s sinful because it shows a lack of trust in God\u2019s promises. It shows a thankless heart and spiritual forgetfulness. My grumbling heart robs my life of joy and jeopardizes my faith and trust in God.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>So how do we guard our hearts from grumbling?<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer, I believe, is to remember. God wants us to remember His great goodness so we don\u2019t forget His great story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.\u201d <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Peter 2:24<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This incredible reality should penetrate the fabric of our lives. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a Christian, we are not promised a life without suffering or heartache or disappointment. We will be sinned against and we will sin against others. Our work will overwhelm us. Our family and friends will disappoint us. We will suffer. But we should be people who respond differently.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[2]<\/span><\/sup> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We should be people who live with a hope that lasts and a joy that never ends. People who remember what God has done and don\u2019t allow our temporal difficulties of life to lead us to an attitude of grumbling and complaining.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a moment and look back on God\u2019s fingerprints all over your life.\u00a0 Which of these statements do you relate with?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how God has protected you from making a disaster of your life.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how God graciously let you grow up in a godly family.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how God awakened you to the ugliness of your sin.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how you walked away from that terrible accident.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how your wife, sister, or mom survived cancer.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how you had mentors and key friends guide you in your faith.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how God sustained you during that season of unemployment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how God miraculously healed you.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that impossible prayer request that God answered.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how you had no money and an envelope just showed up in the mail with exactly the amount you needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember how the gospel came alive as it never had before.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1]<\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Friends, remember God\u2019s gracious deliverance and redemption in your life. Establish it in your memory. Memorialize it. Paint it on the walls of your house. Journal it and reread it each morning.<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1] <\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For God is good, sing of His strength and love every morning! (Psalm 59:16)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-reading-box-container reading-box-container-1\" style=\"--awb-title-color:#333333;--awb-margin-top:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:45px;\"><div class=\"reading-box reading-box-center\" style=\"background-color:#f6f6f6;border-width:1px;border-color:#f6f6f6;border-top-width:3px;border-top-color:var(--primary_color);border-style:solid;\"><div class=\"reading-box-additional\">\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growth Point<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grumbling and complaining displeases God and reveals our sinful heart.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scripture Point<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read James 4:1-3. What can we learn about grumbling as a root of other sins?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Action Point:<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review the questions listed above. Add TEN statements of thanks to that list. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1] <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.desiringgod.org\/articles\/we-complain-because-we-forget\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.desiringgod.org\/articles\/we-complain-because-we-forget<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[2] <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sovereignhope.church\/articles\/grumbling-in-the-life-of-a-believer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/sovereignhope.church\/articles\/grumbling-in-the-life-of-a-believer<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gotquestions.org\/Bible-complaining.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.gotquestions.org\/Bible-complaining.html<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-growth","category-personal-health-and-renewal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":509,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504\/revisions\/509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}