com·plain vi \kəm-ˈplān\  to express grief, pain, or discontent (from Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Phil 2:14 Do everything without complaining…

Russell mentioned this in his lesson Sunday and I have been thinking about it a lot. I realized I complain much more than I care to admit and I am going to try my best to quit complaining. It may not be as easy as I’m hoping. That very morning I recalled that I had mentioned to a brother “how cold it was” in the auditorium.

Are we not in a sense saying I deserve preferential treatment when we constantly complain?  We complain that it’s “too hot, too cold, too windy, not enough time, too fat, too ugly, and too poor.” We complain when someone is driving too fast or too slow. Complaining reveals discontentment.

Have you ever heard (or said) any of these among your church family – I don’t like the color of the carpet, the old songs, the new songs, the pews are too hard, on and on and on…

Now look at what follows verse fourteen and be reminded of why we should not complain – Phil 2:15-17 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life — in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

Rather than complain, we are told to rejoice, to be content, to build each other up and encourage each other.

(I found 133 references for “rejoice” in the NIV)

Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Phil 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Rom 15:1-2 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

1 Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

2 Cor 13:11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

Rom 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

My challenge to myself and to you is to listen to what comes out of our mouths for the rest of this week and make a mental note of every complaint and then resolve to change the complaint into something you can rejoice about.

Are We Going Up or Down?

I’m thinking out loud today. I’m thinking we really are living in a Mad, Mad, Mad World, only I’m not laughing.

For the past few years “political rulers” have tried to put man at the bottom of creation.

Read what God said -
Gen 1:26-28 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. KJV

Since we are created in God’s image and we are to be fruitful, and multiply, replenish, subdue and have dominion, wouldn’t that imply that we are to represent and glorify God? He didn’t create us to multiply and have idols. We are to teach our children to know and worship the one who gave us life.

Have you been paying attention to the way this is being reversed? It seems now that some in political power would like to take God’s creation and turn it into “idol” status for their own evil schemes. Are we now to worship the earth and the elements?

Remember how irrigation water in California has been cut off from the farmers to save the fairy shrimp? Let people suffer the loss of their crops and their livelihood and hurt the food chain to save the fairy shrimp. Something is very wrong with this line of thinking and that is just one example.

Consider the following from Vines – As Creator and Sovereign over His world, God “ruleth by his power for ever” Ps 66:7. When God allowed Israel to have a king, it was with the condition that God was still the ultimate King and that first loyalty belonged to Him Deut 17:14-20. This theocratic ideal is perhaps best expressed by Gideon: “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you” Judg 8:23. With the possible exception of David, no king of Israel fully lived up to the theocratic ideal, and David himself had some problems with it.

I can’t help but think of the following when I look at the way things are today.
Rom 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen. NIV

It is both absurd and down right appalling when you can go to prison for destroying the egg of an Eagle, yet it’s legal to abort a baby!

First and foremost we must have God’s Word in our hearts and minds and to examine out thoughts, actions and decisions according to his will and not our own.

Take time to re-read Isaiah 44

Yesterday I went to my dermatologist. It has been a year since my last visit. In order to get my prescription refilled I had to go for a routine visit. Larry went with me and waited in the waiting room. There are several doctors who share a building so the waiting room is always pretty full and yesterday was no exception. I didn’t have to wait very long to see the doctor and the visit was short.

As I was leaving and re-entering the waiting room there was an elderly gentleman (I’m guessing mid- to late 80’s) sitting with a walker if front of him, staring straight ahead without any facial expression and he was singing quite loudly, a beautiful love song! He had a very nice voice too. His wife was sitting next to him reading a magazine and didn’t seem to notice. No one in the waiting room was looking at the man. People were either reading a magazine, looking embarrassed or uncomfortable and basically ignoring the man.

After exiting the building and standing in the parking lot, I nonchalantly said to Larry “I wonder if he has Alzheimer’s?” Larry said “I don’t think so, I think he just likes to sing”. He told me he had already finished one song while I was in with the doctor. We continued our conversation in the car and I said “Wow! Wouldn’t it be great to be that comfortable in your own skin?” He agreed that it would. I wonder why we’re not??? Seriously, would any of you be comfortable enough to sing a couple of songs in the waiting room of your doctor’s office with a room full of strangers?

I mentioned in my previous post that I was going to write about trust. We probably have all had trust issues at some point in our lives. I recognize my non-trusting issues the most when I try to take care of whatever comes along without giving the matter to God first, praying about it and asking for his guidance. Even though today’s post wasn’t what I had in mind for the topic of trust, it still fits. I don’t know if the singing gentleman has a relationship with God, I’m guessing he might. He certainly had confidence in what he was doing.

I will challenge all of us today, pay attention to the details of your day/week/month. Spend some time contemplating your activities, job, chores, whatever you do. Did you trust God with all your “stuff”?

 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Ps 40:3-4

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Prov 3:5-6