message for the WEEK - STOP COMPLAINING!

Do everything without complaining or arguing, 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. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:14-18)

Why should Christians do everything without complaining or arguing?

Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve never complained about anything. They didn’t complain about God putting a tree in the garden that they were forbidden to eat. They didn’t complain about not having any clothes on. Nor did they complain about the command to only eat vegetables. One of Satan’s first temptations was to get Adam and Eve discontent with God’s plan for them. He says, “Is it true that you cannot eat of every tree in the garden?” He tries to make God’s plan for them feel restrictive and domineering. He then tries to make them feel that God is trying to keep them from the best. He said, “God knows that when you eat of this tree you will be like God.” Satan’s overall temptation was to get them to not trust God and to become discontent with what they already had.

Some Christians, because of a tendency to complain, are constantly under God’s discipline. God, like a loving parent, is seeking to turn them away from their petty tantrums and their distrust of him. Complaining is like telling God he doesn’t know what’s best and that he doesn’t care. It is an affront to God. Therefore, Christians must forsake complaining and arguing because it is forbidden by God.

Interpretation Question: How can we get rid of this complaining disposition?

1. We get rid of a complaining disposition by learning to trust God more.

Solomon said this: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov 3:5). The reason we complain and argue essentially is because we don’t trust God with our circumstances. We don’t trust that he is working all things out for our good (Rom 8:28). Some of us like Adam and Eve doubt God’s essential nature—his goodness (Psalm 135:3). The Lord is good and everything that is good comes from him (James 1:17). He is how we define good, and therefore, to complain is to challenge his nature—his goodness. When we trust that we have an all wise God working all things out for our good, then this trust will deliver us from complaining—complaining about God and others.

2. We get rid of a complaining disposition by acknowledging God’s sovereignty in all situations.

Ephesians 1:11 says God works “all things” according to the counsel of his will. Scripture teaches that God is in control of everything. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” God controls the heart of man like a person moving around water in his hand. He is sovereign.

We should recognize that the sovereignty of God is a difficult and controversial doctrine and for that reason many don’t like it. However, let it be known that this doctrine is crucial for us to “do everything without complaining and arguing,” and therefore, it is an essential doctrine for our holiness. It is also an essential doctrine for prayer. If God isn’t in control of everything, why pray? It is the backbone of a deep prayer life. If we don’t see God is in control of everything, then we will not pray as we ought.

In order to not complain we must not only trust in God’s goodness but also acknowledge God’s sovereignty. Only a person who is fully trustworthy and good is worthy to be sovereign over the affairs of all things. I may not understand why tragedies happen in the world, but I can have peace because my God is all together good, trustworthy, and sovereign over all situations.

3. We get rid of a complaining disposition by learning contentment with God’s provisions.

First Timothy 6:6-8 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

He says if we have food and clothing we should be content. The word “clothing” just means covering so it could refer to clothes and shelter. We live in a society that teaches us to not be content. Every commercial says, “You need this!” “You need that!”  Therefore, we live in a society not content with anything. We get a new phone that we are all excited about until the newer version comes out. Then we are back to being discontent. This society works off discontentment.

One of the disciplines we must develop is to be content with whatever God has provided even if it is only basic food and covering. This is a discipline Paul challenges Christians to grow in (1 Tim 6:6-8). This is exactly what God promises to provide us with in Scripture. He promises to meet our needs—to give us our daily bread. He doesn’t promise riches, wealth, and health on this earth in contrast with the “prosperity gospel.” Christ told his disciples that God would meet their needs for clothing and food as they sought first the kingdom of heaven (Matt 6:33). We see Paul himself had learned this reality in Philippians 4:11-13. He said he had learned to be content in every circumstance whether in prosperity or lack because of God’s strength working in him.

How do we learn contentment? We learn it by finding our fullness and satisfaction in God. We should ask ourselves these questions, “Is God really enough? Is he really all I need? Will I be satisfied with just him? Do I really need all the clothes, the shoes, the entertainment, the electronics, etc.? Can I be content with just him?” The writers of Hebrews says this: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Article submitted by Sis Oliyide Feranmi