How Often Have I Displeased God by Complaining Non-Stop?
I was reading through the Spurgeon devotionals for December. Now, I thought of the evening devotional says the following:
O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men. - Psalm 107:8
If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies - common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the raiment we wear. Let us praise him that we are not cast out among the hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty; let us thank him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise him, in fact, for everything which we receive from his bounteous hand, for we deserve little, and yet are most plenteously endowed. But, beloved, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. God's redeeming acts towards his chosen are forever the favourite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving. We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions, uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged. We have been led to the cross of Christ - our shackles of guilt have been broken off; we are no longer slaves, but children of the living God, and can antedate the period when we shall be presented before the throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Even now by faith we wave the palm-branch and wrap ourselves about with the fair linen which is to be our everlasting array, and shall we not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord our Redeemer? Child of God, canst thou be silent? Awake, awake, ye inheritors of glory, and lead your captivity captive, as ye cry with David, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." Let the new month begin with new songs.
I thought about it that I tend to have the tendency to complain non-stop. I was wondering did David make any sense to say that he would praise God even in times of trouble in Psalm 34? I wanted to apply Psalm 34's principle but it's very difficult. Before I got saved - I already developed the habit of murmuring non-stop. The idea of thanking God even in difficult times sounds absurd. I nearly didn't want to get saved until I realized that I was so wicked and I needed a Savior. I wanted to be an atheist but atheism doesn't make sense. Then I thought about getting saved meant life gets complicated.
Getting saved can be the most dangerous thing. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is a dangerous thing. No, I'm not quoting from Pope Francis. Rather, if you have a personal relationship with Jesus then expect the whole world will go against you. I really felt like complaining to God saying, "Lord, I want to do the right thing but why do you allow things to go wrong in my life?"I then thought of restudying the beatitudes and the fact that the worldly view is very much in contrast to the worldly view. I remembered I was offered to go to a secular school where I would have less pressure. Instead, I made the difficult choice of staying in a Baptist school where I know the pressure would be heavy. I made that right choice but made a lot of wrong choices by complaining about how difficult it can be to make the right choice.
I was reading through Vernon McGee's "Thru the Bible Commentary" and decided to take time to pause yet again. I wanted to move forward but his commentary on Psalm 6:4 made me reflect on how often I keep complaining about enemies now and then. Here's an excerpt towards the end of the commentary that made me reflect on my actions:
Have you ever stopped to think, my friend, that God has given you enemies for a definite purpose to test you that you might become a better Christian? Do not become alarmed at the presence of enemies and difficulties that God has permitted to cumber your path. He is not bearing hard on you. Would that we would trust God to the extent that we would not cry out at a time like that!
I remembered some of the former foes that I've had before in my teenage years. I never realized that God had put them there to actually stop me from walking back to my old habits. One person, I hated too much as a teenager had later become a born again Christian. Another former enemy is mine is now a productive person and an active deacon in a Baptist church. However, some of my other enemies still walk in the path of destruction and that should sadden me. I think about it that God allowed me to be insulted so I will learn to be patient. David understood one thing that Shimei's insults were permitted by God. David could've ordered Shimei's tongue cut out for that affront but chose not to. I would have wanted to mutilate my foe in such a similar way over an insult. Instead, Jesus taught very differently when it came to dealing with insults. In Matthew 5:39 - it can be read that Jesus says if someone hits you on one cheek then turn the other also. That is, why am I often allowing somebody's insults to get the best of me to the point I want to be as petty as Haman? Just think how often fights begin because somebody's pride got in the way. The insult could've been ignored. Instead, the insulted decided to cross the street, get into a fistfight and over what? Those words could've just been harmlessly bounced off but instead, the inner Haman was allowed to get the best of the person. I remembered getting into trouble for punching someone over an insult I could have just ignored.
One can consider how some of the best things in life require sacrifice. Making the best olive oil requires lots of pressing. Making the best gold requires a lot of refining. There has been no successful person who's had an easy past. You can consider that some people who made it from rags to riches had a difficult life. You can consider that some people who went from riches to rags always had it easy. If I find myself complaining over insults and obstacles then I need to remember that others may have it harder than me. How often do I complain about somebody who owes me money when others have no money? How often do I complain about traffic on the road while others are probably stranded on an island with no means of communication? How often do I complain about somebody insulting me while somebody is receiving physical torture and isn't complaining about it?
One can consider how some of the best things in life require sacrifice. Making the best olive oil requires lots of pressing. Making the best gold requires a lot of refining. There has been no successful person who's had an easy past. You can consider that some people who made it from rags to riches had a difficult life. You can consider that some people who went from riches to rags always had it easy. If I find myself complaining over insults and obstacles then I need to remember that others may have it harder than me. How often do I complain about somebody who owes me money when others have no money? How often do I complain about traffic on the road while others are probably stranded on an island with no means of communication? How often do I complain about somebody insulting me while somebody is receiving physical torture and isn't complaining about it?
If God lets me pass through trials then shouldn't I be thankful for it? If God lets Satan harass me then shouldn't I be thankful for it? The great comfort in the believer is that God doesn't let Satan harm him or her unless there's a purpose to teach. Job didn't realize he had some self-righteousness he had to deal with until later on. At first, Job didn't charge God foolishly but later he did because the trials kept getting worse and worse. It was only until later Job realized that God allows bad things to happen to truly good people for a truly good reason. The apostles were allowed to suffer this and that so the glory of God will be displayed.
How often have I broken my testimony by complaining about this and that when I should be focused on growing based on those trials? Shouldn't it be that God allows people to insult me so I will learn to turn the other cheek? Shouldn't it be that God allows me to suffer losses so next time I would be more careful? How often do I fail to see that God allows bad things to happen so I will feel His goodness for the better?
See also:
- Am I Allowing Petty Insults From Unbelievers to Get the Best of Me?
- Am I Getting Really Vindictive Over Very Petty Issues?
- Am I Keeping My Mouth Closed When the Wicked is Before Me?
- Am I Showing Hatred or Sympathy For My False Accusers?
- Am I Showing Sympathy for People Trapped in the Pleasantry of Satan's Lies?
- How Am I Responding to Petty Insults and Minor False Accusations?
- How Often Am I Tempted to Physically Harm Someone Over Mere Insults?
- How Often Have I Failed to Forgive Someone Because I Failed to Ask God for the Strength to Forgive?
- How Often Have I Lost My Cool While Promoting Biblical Truth?
- I Find It Difficult to Love My Enemies Without God's Grace
- I'm Amazed at God's Longsuffering
- I'm Struck by This Testimony of Calling Me to Love My Enemies
- Maybe, Some Losses I Have Today is a Punishment for Self-Righteousness
- Month End Reflection: Am I Praying For My Enemies and For the Wicked?
- My Constant Struggle to Love My Enemies and to Pray For Them That Persecute Me
- This Picture Tells Me How I Should Respond to My False Accusers...