I Corinthians – Nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer.
John – Jesus answered and said unto them, “Do not grumble amongst yourselves.”
The definition of the word grumble (Strong’s 1111 – gon-gu’-zo) is:
1) to murmur, mutter, grumble, say anything against in a low tone
a) of the cooing of doves
b) of those who confer secretly together
c) of those who discontentedly complain
While I really like the sound of doves cooing – I do not like to hear grumbling, muttering, discontentment or complaining. Do you? And yet, how often I am guilty of grumbling.
It’s one thing to honestly communicate our feelings to God – it is quite another to complain and grumble about our circumstances to and with others. And what does it do? It just pulls us into a downward spiral.
Psalm 95:2 says – “Come before His presence with thanksgiving.”
Obviously God doesn’t like grumbling either. He tells us to come before Him with thanksgiving! An attitude of gratitude! A heart of thankfulness! It pleases God when we have thankful hearts and it brings us great joy!
Let’s choose to look at life through the filter of thankfulness, yes, even our difficulties. No, it doesn’t mean our circumstances are always pleasant, but it does mean that we are aware that He uses ALL things for His purpose and His glory! His ways are not our ways and often things don't make sense to us. But once you begin to be thankful– you find myriads of things to be thankful for and it truly does lift your spirit and draw you into His presence.
Oh Father PLEASE help me to develop a thankful heart so that I might become more aware of Your goodness and Your love for me.
~To the Glory of His Name
Thank you for this post. I have been thinking about it all week, and God has been reminding me to thank Him for ALL the things that come into my day...even the things I don't like. Its amazing how gratitude changes your attitude!! :)
ReplyDeleteHello God’s Servant Girl.
ReplyDelete`
How much we all need this reminder to be grateful – thank you for sharing.
I remember reading once that “Complaining is being critical of God”.
I wanted to find out what God thinks about complaining so I immediately thought about the Israelites traveling through the wilderness. I started reading in Numbers and looking for places where people complained and there it was right in the eleventh chapter, “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when He heard them His anger was aroused” Numbers 11:1.
God heard their complaining! He not only heard - He was angry! I read further, “Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.” Wow! Only three verses later the people complained over lack of meat. “The Lord heard you when you wailed. ‘If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!’ Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it” Numbers 11:18
The people were to eat meat for a whole month until it came out of their nostrils! Not only that but verse 33 says - “He struck them with a severe plague Numbers 11:33”. I found six more times, right in the next 12 chapters in Numbers, that the Israelites complained. All had dire consequences that included: Miriam having leprosy, the people to wander in the desert and never enter the Promised Land, the earth swallowing over 250 complaint leaders, a plague that killed 14,7000, Moses excluded from entering the Promised Land, and God sending snakes to bite and kill many of the people.
After seeing these consequences for complaining, believe me, I sure was convinced not to complain. I asked God to forgive me for my complaining. I had never thought about complaining as being critical of God. I would never purposefully criticize God and yet I have been doing it for years.
Complaining is really criticizing. I heard someone say once that “The absent must be safe with us. Therefore, criticism is taboo.” If that is true of others how much more should it be true of God who not only hears our words but knows our thoughts before we speak them.
Dear Heavenly Father, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and My Redeemer.” Psalm 19: 14