Quit Your Grumbling

     I can hear my mother now, "Barbara Ann quit your grumbling.  Things are not going to change when you complain all the time."  She was right, too.  Dwelling on negative circumstances of life only steals your joy and darkens your outlook.  After all, we are called to be a light in this world.  I would liken this to putting a 15 watt light bulb into a lamp that previously had a sixty watt bulb in it.  There is a big difference in the amount of light it gives off.  When we grumble, the light of the Gospel within us dims in this world of unbelief in which we walk.

     In Paul's letter to the Church at Philippi, he wrote these words (Chap. 2:14-16):  "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 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, holding fast to the word of life, so that in that day of Christ, I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."

     Certainly, we do live in a crooked and twisted generation just now where people call evil good and good evil.  Justice seems to elude us and the wicked seemingly get away with anything.  Living in a fallen world is not easy, but God has given us the light of His Holy Spirit to comfort, guide and nurture us so we may shine in the darkness around us.  

     Reading Psalm 37 is great comfort for all believers because God speaks to us through these words and points to what will transpire in the end.  When it comes to the crooked and twisted generation, verse 1-2 tells us:  "Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb."  Then the Psalmist tells us this:  "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness....(vs. 3) Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. (vs. 5)"  These are just a few of the verses that speak to us about those who seem to get away with everything.  They do not honor God and yet they prosper.  This is when we are tempted to grumble.

     David, the writer of this Psalm, knew all about evildoers.  For years, his own father-in-law King Saul hunted him like an animal.  The circumstances of his life were not easy, but David found that he needed to trust God with his life.  I love what vs. 5 says to us.  If we are committed to the Lord and trusting in  Him, we can be assured He will act.  It is not up to us to take matters into our own hands or to grumble and complain.  God has a plan that we cannot see and He promises to work all things together for good to those who love Him.

     Reading further in this Psalm, we see in verses 28-29 a precious promise:  "For the Lord loves justice; He will not forsake His saints.  They are preserved forever; but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.  The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever."  The beginning of the verse is what grabs me:  "For the Lord loves justice..."  Isn't it good to know that the Lord loves the very thing that believers desire to see?  We want to see justice and good triumph over evil, and if we wait upon the Lord, He will act.  His actions are far more effective than ours could ever be.  So then, what should we do to keep from that grumbling spirit?

     Let us put on the garment of praise each day focusing on God's ability to do what we cannot.  We are to be the light in this dark world sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Keeping our eyes on the prize of the high calling we have in Christ, studying His Word and faithfully praying each day.  In other words, we need to "trust the Plan" that God has for each of us and for this world.  Be a sixty watt bulb today....not the 15 watt bulb!  Selah!

P.S.  Please read all of Psalm 37.  It will encourage your soul.