THE
CANCER OF COMPLAINT
BREAD
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into
the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding
water. 23 When they came to
Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the
place is called Marah.) 24 So the
people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Exodus 15:22-24 (NIV)
1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to
the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the
second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In
the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Exodus 16:1-3 (NIV)
3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Exodus 16:1-3 (NIV)
1 That night all the people of the community raised
their voices and wept aloud. 2 All
the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to
them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the
sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better
for us to go back to Egypt?” Numbers 14:1-3 (NIV)
26 The LORD
said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How
long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints
of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So
tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD,
I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 In
this desert your bodies will fall--every one of you twenty years old or more
who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I
swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and
Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said
would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have
rejected. 32 But you--your
bodies will fall in this desert. 33 Your
children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your
unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.’” Numbers
14:26-33 (NIV)
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact,
brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all
passed through the sea. 2 They
were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for
they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was
Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God
was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
6 Now these things occurred as
examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do
not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down
to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” 8 We
should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day
twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We
should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them
did--and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These
things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us,
on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 1
Corinthians 10:1-11 (NIV)
14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 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.
Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV)
7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming.
See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how
patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You
too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against each other,
brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James
5:7-9 (NIV)
11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares
the LORD, “plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come
and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You
will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from
captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have
banished you,” declares the LORD, “and
will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah
29:11-14 (NIV)
BUTTER
“God promises victory to those who endure, so He gives us enough strength – usually just enough so faith is still required – to keep us going. He wants us to succeed and not give up. In the walk of faith, we can’t afford to doubt, worry, fear, or complain – the very symptoms that kept a generation of Israelites out of their Promised Land. All of these attitudes severely undermine God’s work on our behalf, not because He can’t do whatever He wants but because He has chosen to relate to us on the basis of our faith. Negative attitudes and words undermine faith. They devalue the very currency we have to use in God’s Kingdom. Wherever God’s voice and your faith are leading you, do not be afraid or dismayed.” Chris Tiegreen
“The Scripture
tells us in Ecclesiastes, ‘For everything there is a season, a time for every
activity under heaven.’ And for that time, God has purposes. No matter what
season you are in, God wants you to offer the sacrifices of praise and rejoice
in that season. I know, I know…easier said than done. But if you shift your
focus OFF of your circumstances, and onto God instead, you'll find praising Him
is much easier. You can't help but celebrate who HE is. If we can understand and recognize the season
we are in, and make the most of our time within that season, we will pursue
with purpose the plan that God has for us. Don’t give up. Keep your eyes on His
goodness. Remember who you are. Remember WHOSE you are. He'll never, ever lead
you astray.” Cathe Laurie
“Stop resisting
Him. Stop resenting Him. Stop complaining. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop demanding what you want. Stop focusing on the outer wrappings of
yourself and your circumstances. Adjust
your attitude. Change your mind about
things, about yourself, about others and about Him. Relax in total trust. He knows what He’s doing. Unwrap the package! Let go and look up! Let Him open the eyes of your heart. Open your eyes!” Anne Graham Lotz
“Grumbling
is the luxury of self-absorption at someone else's expense.” Dr.
Harry Reeder
“If you anoint yourself a fault-finder, you find
yourself at fault in the end. When complaining and blaming is a way of
life — we can’t complain that there’s no one else to blame when we can’t find
the way to the abundant life.” Ann
Voskamp
“Complainers are usually
contentious instead of content, tear down instead of building, and wear others
out emotionally. A complainer’s lack of contentment is often caused by a
tendency to compare themselves to others. Complainers are often people who
relive ugly situations and perceived injustices over and over in their minds.
They are unwilling or unable to let past events or
hurts go. Complainers keep reloading their minds with negative
thoughts and often live in depression, despair, or darkness. Pastor Harry Reeder puts it like this, ‘Selfish,
self-absorbed, self-centered people are despairing, despondent, and depressed.’” Donna
Evans
“Brave joy is the magnet for everything you need, not
boorish complaining. Brave joy will draw people in, will attract the help you need, will
surround you with love — in a way that boorish complaining never can.” Ann Voskamp
“Whenever
you react with praise and thanksgiving for an opportunity to grow more like
Jesus in your way of reacting to things, instead of grumbling or feeling
self-pity, you will find that that whole situation will be changed into a great
blessing.” Hannah Hurnard
HEART SAVOR
· God desires for my
heart to be joyful in hope not consumed in complaint.
· God has a plan for
my life that is good and perfect and pleasing.
I am never to kick against His best by my grousing grumbling.
· Praise is the antidote
to complaint.
