Life without complaint

Did you know that you can live in bondage to a negative spirit?

 

It's true - and don't be negative about what I am about to write.  :)

 

God desires that we walk a life free from complaining and grumbling.  

Someone once wrote: “"The person with the discontented heart has the attitude that everything he does for God is too much, and everything God does for him is too little."

 

It’s very difficult to be around whining, complaining, negative people.  Yet at times we all find ourselves in that position.  Continually throughout their sojourn through the desert, the children of Israel found themselves directing their discontent at Moses and ultimately God. 
 

They complained about the miracle nourishment that was sent by God. They whined about the report of the men sent into Canaan to spy out the land.  They spoke of stoning Moses and Aaron.  
 

The Psalmist says it directly in Psalms 52:9, “Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.” 
 

Our words can bring life or our words can bring death. And more importantly, our words are an outgrowth of our inner spirit.  They express the bondage that many experience from constantly looking at the negative side of life experiences.
 

Journalist James Glassman declares that "a culture of complaint" has infected American society. Some Americans file complaints against food companies, seeking to hold a corporation responsible for making them fat.

Others seek litigation against banks for lending them money even though they were a credit risk. There are complaints about overcrowding in schools, low paying jobs, and cheap foreign labor. The truth is that some of these complaints are unfounded or else ignore offsetting blessings.
 

According to Glassman, there are many reasons not to complain:
 

In 1955 the ratio of students to teachers was 30 to 1. Today it is 19 to 1.
 

Adjusted for inflation, compensation has tripled since 1947, and the cost of necessities has   plummeted.
 

Food in 1950 represented about one third of a family's total expenditures; today, it's one seventh.
 

The U.S. Gross Domestic Product is more than the total of the next five countries.
 

The current U.S. unemployment rate of 5.7% is lower than the average rate over the last 30 years and lower than most countries, including industrialized countries.
 

Americans work fewer hours, and have more cars, cultural institutions, and children in college than ever before.
 

Remember when Jesus served his disciples communion the night he was taken away?  Knowing that His hour had come, he took the bread and the cup and he gave thanks.  He gave thanks.  Even in the midst of difficult circumstances we can choose to give thanks.  It comes down to a choice.   
 

Will I choose to speak words of gratefulness and gratitude?  Or will I choose to speak words of complaint and dissatisfaction?  Let’s not forget that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  Let’s remember that we are to rejoice “in” all things.  Not “for” all things but “in” all things.   
 

God is in control.   
 

Prayer:  "Father, help me to live a grateful life, free from the bondage of a complaining spirit."
 

Just a thought for a Thursday.