Philippians 2:12-14
New Living Translation (NLT)
Shine Brightly for Christ
12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. 14 Do everything without complaining and arguing …
Did you notice how that last verse stood out?
argue |ˈärgyoō|
verb ( -gues , -gued , -guing )
[ reporting verb ] give reasons or cite evidence in support of an idea, action, or theory, typically with the aim of persuading others to share one’s view
complain |kəmˈplān|
verb
[ trans. ] express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event
Am I the only one? See, I even looked up the definitions so I could justify my behavior. Can’t justify it… argue and complain is exactly what I do. I argue with God. There. I said it. Not proud but it’s true. As a matter of fact, I have argued a lot lately. If I had a dollar for every time I complained that Jesus hasn’t come back yet I would be sitting on a beach in Fiji!!!
The fact of the matter is my arguing and complaining takes me out of the very place that will provide me the comfort from the very thing that caused me to argue to begin with: My flesh. My flesh is what causes me to argue… and His presence is the only relief I can get from my flesh. But instead, I argue. Grrrr… Thankfully I am not alone! Read on…
Romans 7:15
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”
Yay … that’s Paul. Yep, Me and Paul, just alike! Ok, maybe not but at least I know I’m not alone. (There I go again with the justification.) So, how do I get off of the merry-go-round of arguing and complaining? It’s easy. Just die. Die to myself. Die to my rights. Die (most importantly) to my timeline. I want Jesus to come back now and rescue us from this world. And my loving God says, “But some of my kids aren’t ready yet. I’m waiting on my kids to know me.” UGH. Yeh. That’s how it works. I quit arguing and complaining long enough to listen to God, the Creator of time (and everything else) and He gives me His perspective. And then, it makes sense. His timeline, His plan. Not mine. Who can argue with that? Me. And I will probably argue again tomorrow, BUT, will I stop long enough to listen to His reason. I pray I do. And THAT changes everything. (Rev. 4:1)