Philippians 2:14 – Choosing Gratitude Over Grumbling on Mondays

17 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Philippians 2:14.       Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputing.

Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush: Hear we go round the mulberry bush on a Monday morning! And does it ever feel like we’re going round and round that deleted expletive bush every first day of the new work week? It certainly does! After a terrific weekend, we’re forced to get up at an early hour and do basically the same things, the same way; travel the same route, with the same annoying traffic jams, to see the same people and do the same uninspiring work! 

But that obviously gets a tad much doing it every week, for although mankind is basically a creature of habit, some habits become burdensome and frustrating if carried on too long without a break. So, perhaps to break up the sameness, we can sometimes try doing our Monday mornings a little differently. That all depends though on how much leeway we have in our routines. The first thing I would suggest though is to make whatever preparations are necessary, so you don’t have to hurry to get out the door on Mondays. 

I believe that lack of rushing will help relieve some of the usual frustration. And what about possibly taking a different route, to and from work. Oh, I know, the traffic jams are everywhere! And since those are only suggestions, please don’t be offended. (smile) However, here’s one suggestion, or rather requirement that we do need for our Christian walk. In the words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputing.’ (Phil. 2:14) 

Now that exhortation will certainly solve some of our Monday woes, since those are the things we do most on that disliked day! (smile) So it seems like a very wise suggestion to act upon. And why did Bruh Paul write it to the church at Philippi? ‘That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:15) 

And that’s a wonderful reason for not complaining and getting into disputes. For then we will be setting a very good example as worthy children of God. And there’s also this verse about complaining from Bruh Paul to the church at Corinth. ‘Neither murmur ye, as some of them (the Israelites in the wilderness) also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer.’ (1 Cor. 10:10) 

Yes friends, the Israelites were great grumblers and complainers as they made their way from Egypt towards the Promised Land, and for that unnecessary complaining the Lord punished them once with death by serpents for finding fault with the manna He provided (Num. 21) , and another with a plague for demanding meat (Num. 13). In fact they wandered in the wilderness for forty long years because of their disobedience and complaining and lack of true faith in the Lord who had showed them so many miracles and done so much for them. 

And when Moses sent the twelve spies into the Promised Land to check it out, only Joshua and Caleb had positive reports, while the other ten were negative, saying there were giants in the land, to whom they were like grasshoppers and the land was unconquerable. That brought the Lord to the end of His rope. 

‘And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur (grumble) against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole (entire) number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me. 

Doubtless you shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware (solemnly promised) to make you dwell therein, save Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun. But your little ones which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses they shall fall (die) in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. 

After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities (guilt), even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise (rejection). I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ (Num,. 14:26-35) 

Yuh see friends, the older Israelites who came out of Egypt should have known better after witnessing all the miracles the Lord did for them, but instead they chose to grumble and complain, and so, none of those who left Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb ever set foot in the Promised Land, they wandered in the wilderness until they all died. Now let’s hope that teaches us a lesson about complaining, for the Lord has given us ALL that we need to live this life successfully, but we need to get up off our fat and lazy fannies and get to work on His behalf. 

So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine help in handling our many problems. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, my fellow saints, please remember that without sincere repentance and turning from our evil ways, divine aid will not be forthcoming. Much LOVE!

…as a sincere believer…to murmur and to complain…is to raise the wrath of God…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 June 2023   1 Corinthians 10:10.

29 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 Corinthians 10:10.      Neither murmur ye (grumble, complain), as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, with promises of it being mostly sunny…and hopefully no smoke like yesterday. It’s amazing the way the smoke from those wild forest fires is spreading all over the continent and causing so much inhalation and sight problems. But what to do eh, we are suffering from our own lack of foresight in the climate change arena. So we’ve just got to grin and bear it, while doing our best to make what changes we can to improve the situation. 

And as promised, today, since the Lord gave us life (smile) we’ll continue looking at that human phenomenon we term complaining. And whatever the reason(s) for it, complaining has become a serious cancer in our society, causing much controversy, negativity and heartache. Now, yesterday we saw what continuous complaining did for the Israelites; all those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb never made it into the Promised Land, and furthermore, they wandered forty years in the wilderness until they all died. 

Now, I’m sure that our constant complaining is also causing us problems that we can’t even define. And throughout the Bible we find scriptures warning against gossip (Rom. 1:29, 2 Cor. 12:20) and slander, busybodies and those who won’t work (1 Tim. 5:13, 2 Thess. 3:11). It’s all a part of the same problem; we do and say what we should not, words and behaviour that are unfitting for Christians. James tells us right up front. ‘Grudge (grumble) not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned, behold the judge standeth before the door.’ (James 4:9) 

Yes friends, the Lord’s right there listening, no wonder Bruh Paul warned the Corinthians in his first letter, using Israel’s History as an example of complaining and ungodly behaviour when they came out of Egypt and were making their way through the wilderness. He writes: ‘But with many (most) of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown (strewn) in the wilderness. Now these things were (became) our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 

Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication (sexual immorality), as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt (test) Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye (grumble, complain), as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.’ (1 Cor. 10:5-10) 

Oh my fellow believers, all the misfortune that happened to the Israelites in the wilderness was because of their infidelity and complaining against the merciful God who had brought them out of four hundred and odd years of slavery in Egypt. They were so accustomed to the comparatively easy life in Egypt that they couldn’t handle the trials of the wilderness, which is the exact reason that the Lord took them the long way, so that they could build some belly and backbone. 

But the old folks fumbled the ball, died in the desert, and only the young ones walked through the Promised Land. And I’d encourage us to pay close attention to this next verse, because it is of the utmost importance to us today. Bruh Paul writes: ‘Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (examples): and they are written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of the world (ages) are come.’ (1 Cor. 10:11) 

Ah mih people, please understand that all that’s written in the Bible is for our instruction and understanding, to give us wisdom and knowledge in every possible circumstance. The Bible wasn’t just written because God wanted something to do, but so that His wonderful creation could know about Him and how He desires them to live in close and familial communication with Him.  

Now let’s look at a couple of other facts about complaining. And this first one contemplates why we should not complain. The commentary suggests that  ‘A focus on not complaining creates a happier and more positive environment. This leads to everyone being a bit more fulfilled with every day of their lives, not needing to or being tempted to engage in negative discussion around any given topic.’ And that’s certainly true, for if we don’t complain and thus revel in negativity, then our lives will obviously be less stressful and more pleasant. 

Then there’s this treatise on how and why we complain and the physical effects it causes. ‘Some factors that play a role in complaining: Emotional regulation: Sometimes people complain as a way to manage their emotions. By venting their feelings, they hope to lessen the severity of these distressing emotions. Mood: People may be more likely to complain when they are experiencing negative moods. Complaining Rewires your Brain for Negativity, Pessimism, and Unhappiness. 

The human brain loves familiarity and efficiency – so what you feed your brain it will settle for it and seek more of it. In other words, the more you complain, the more you make this the default mode of your brain’s operation. Complaining is a way they have learned to attempt to get this. They use complaining as a form of control, hoping to guilt others into giving them the attention, caring and compassion they seek. Complaining is a “pull” on other people.’ And I’m sure we’ve all experienced some of those things, either as the complainer or the one being complained to. (smile) 

But here’s the best part of the whole program; ‘7 ways to stop complaining: Learn to accept changes. …Think about how you affect others. …Remind yourself to be grateful. …Don’t associate with negative people. …Exercise. …Stop being judgmental. …Lead by example.’ Voila! There we have it! The end to complaining! But unfortunately, some of us will keep complaining because we just like it, and it’s useful for our nefarious purposes. But please remember the fate of the Israelites and too much complaining. Eventually it will come back to bite you in the rump. 

And we’ll end with this magnificent and immortal scripture on the subject, from Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus. ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:29-32) 

There could be no better end to complaining than that my brethren! Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings that have been generously bestowed on us to do Christ’s earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

It’s now our bounden duty to take those blessings and go out and share them generously with those we meet, so that they can come to know the LOVE of Christ and His marvellous free gift of salvation! Much LOVE!

…complaining will only get you so far…before it brings negative consequences… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ