A Young Couple

A young couple decided to wed. As the big day approached, they grew apprehensive. Each had a problem they had never before shared with anyone, not even each other.

The Groom-to-be, overcoming his fear, decided to ask his father for advice. "Father," he said, "I am deeply concerned about the success of my marriage. I love my fianc�e, very much, but you see, I have very smelly feet, and I'm afraid that my future wife will be put off by them."

"No problem," said dad, "all you have to do is wash your feet as often as possible, and always wear socks, even to bed." Well, to him this seemed a workable solution.

The bride-to-be, overcoming her fear, decided to take her problem up her mom. "Mom," she said, "When I wake up in the morning my breath is truly awful." "Honey," her mother consoled, "everyone has bad breath in the morning." "No, you don't understand. My morning breath is so bad, I'm afraid that my new husband will not want to sleep in the same room with me."

Her mother said simply, "Try this. In the morning, get straight out of bed, and head for the bathroom and brush your teeth. The key is, not to say a word until you've brushed your teeth. Not a word," her mother affirmed. Well, she thought it was certainly worth a try.

The loving couple was finally married in a beautiful ceremony. Not forgetting the advice each had received, he with his perpetual socks and she with her morning silence, they managed quite well. That is, until about six months later. Shortly before dawn, the husband wakes with a start to find that one of his socks had come off. Fearful of the consequences, he frantically searches the bed. This, of course, woke his bride and without thinking, she immediately asks, "What on earth are you doing?"

"Oh, no!" he gasped in shock, "You've swallowed my sock!"

The Sin of Lying

A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."

The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only 16 chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."

Ten Things Not Found In Proverbs 31

Ten Things Not Found In Proverbs 31

by Kelly Harbaugh

Have you ever tried so hard to make things great for your family that you ended up frustrated, bitter, and snapping at every one of them? You know, something like, "Go away and be quiet, can't you see that I'm trying to be a good mother?" Did you feel guilty because you could not be the person you were trying to be? Great news! The world of being a wife and mother is no different that the world of everything else we do before God. We feel guilty because we are guilty, and we need Jesus to fix that. There is no "special section" of God's word that does not require his grace to fulfill it in our lives. That includes Proverbs 31.

I have viewed many reader comments describing the various books published about the Proverbs 31 woman. Above all, my favorite is, "It read like a car repair manual." Let us not forget that our number one priority is to be a disciple of Christ. If we read these verses as a "how-to" manual, we will always fail. Always. God's ONLY repair instructions have always been to come into the fullness of his grace daily and let him perfect us.

The little bit of research I have done has indicated that Proverbs 31:10-31 was actually an acrostic poem that most Jewish women would memorize. It was a guide to Jewish men on finding a good wife. Well, what things in these verses could a man actually evaluate BEFORE he married the woman? I'm thinking he probably would not be looking at a woman who was already married with children, so he couldn't observe all of these specific daily tasks. He could however, pay attention to the beginning verse where she is titled a "wife of noble character." Could it be her character that is being described?

This passage describes a woman who "fears the Lord," who "speaks with wisdom" and has "faithful instruction" on her tongue. She is a generous woman with a strong work ethic who does not get anxious about the future. A woman cannot possess all of these characteristics together apart from a daily walk with God. A great listing of the works that flow out of this character are also listed in this passage. It is a beautiful picture of what a husband will see in his wife when she fears the Lord and how beautiful she will look to him. ("Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.")

Unfortunately, we tend to get this backwards most of the time. We say, "If you can do all of the things on this list, you will have become a wife of noble character." If that wasn't enough, we add a whole list of other requirements that we assume are included. After all, she is superwoman; if she works so hard, her house must be spotless and her family must be angelic. I have got an idea. Let's not try to add to God's word and make it better. I think he did a good job the first time.

The following is a list of the 10 verses NOT found in Proverbs 31:

1. Her coffee table never has dust on it.

2. Many have eaten off her kitchen floor.

3. Better Homes and Gardens just did a photo shoot in her living room.

4. She does all of the housework herself while the kids play Wii.

5. All of the words that flow from her children's mouths are blessed.

6. All of her children are straight A students, musical geniuses, and all-star athletes.

7. Her hair is always fixed perfectly and her make-up is artfully applied.

8. She does not touch make-up or hairspray because it is vain and the art of Satan.

9. She never makes a bad decision.

10. She is classroom mom, PTO President, the bearer of orange slices at soccer games, and the church committee queen.

It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But you know that you have added at least a few of these things on your list. Remember Martha and Mary? Which one do you think had a list like this in her pocket? Drop the scrub brush and grab a Bible. Sit at Jesus' feet and become a disciple. Let him give you his character, and you will have the one thing needed to carry out everything else.

As seen at http://www.godlywoman.co/2011/09/ten-things-not-found-in-proverbs-31.html

Ten Things Not Found In Proverbs 31

Ten Things Not Found In Proverbs 31

by Kelly Harbaugh

Have you ever tried so hard to make things great for your family that you ended up frustrated, bitter, and snapping at every one of them? You know, something like, "Go away and be quiet, can't you see that I'm trying to be a good mother?" Did you feel guilty because you could not be the person you were trying to be? Great news! The world of being a wife and mother is no different that the world of everything else we do before God. We feel guilty because we are guilty, and we need Jesus to fix that. There is no "special section" of God's word that does not require his grace to fulfill it in our lives. That includes Proverbs 31.

I have viewed many reader comments describing the various books published about the Proverbs 31 woman. Above all, my favorite is, "It read like a car repair manual." Let us not forget that our number one priority is to be a disciple of Christ. If we read these verses as a "how-to" manual, we will always fail. Always. God's ONLY repair instructions have always been to come into the fullness of his grace daily and let him perfect us.

The little bit of research I have done has indicated that Proverbs 31:10-31 was actually an acrostic poem that most Jewish women would memorize. It was a guide to Jewish men on finding a good wife. Well, what things in these verses could a man actually evaluate BEFORE he married the woman? I'm thinking he probably would not be looking at a woman who was already married with children, so he couldn't observe all of these specific daily tasks. He could however, pay attention to the beginning verse where she is titled a "wife of noble character." Could it be her character that is being described?

This passage describes a woman who "fears the Lord," who "speaks with wisdom" and has "faithful instruction" on her tongue. She is a generous woman with a strong work ethic who does not get anxious about the future. A woman cannot possess all of these characteristics together apart from a daily walk with God. A great listing of the works that flow out of this character are also listed in this passage. It is a beautiful picture of what a husband will see in his wife when she fears the Lord and how beautiful she will look to him. ("Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.")

Unfortunately, we tend to get this backwards most of the time. We say, "If you can do all of the things on this list, you will have become a wife of noble character." If that wasn't enough, we add a whole list of other requirements that we assume are included. After all, she is superwoman; if she works so hard, her house must be spotless and her family must be angelic. I have got an idea. Let's not try to add to God's word and make it better. I think he did a good job the first time.

The following is a list of the 10 verses NOT found in Proverbs 31:

1. Her coffee table never has dust on it.

2. Many have eaten off her kitchen floor.

3. Better Homes and Gardens just did a photo shoot in her living room.

4. She does all of the housework herself while the kids play Wii.

5. All of the words that flow from her children's mouths are blessed.

6. All of her children are straight A students, musical geniuses, and all-star athletes.

7. Her hair is always fixed perfectly and her make-up is artfully applied.

8. She does not touch make-up or hairspray because it is vain and the art of Satan.

9. She never makes a bad decision.

10. She is classroom mom, PTO President, the bearer of orange slices at soccer games, and the church committee queen.

It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But you know that you have added at least a few of these things on your list. Remember Martha and Mary? Which one do you think had a list like this in her pocket? Drop the scrub brush and grab a Bible. Sit at Jesus' feet and become a disciple. Let him give you his character, and you will have the one thing needed to carry out everything else.

As seen at http://www.godlywoman.co/2011/09/ten-things-not-found-in-proverbs-31.html

Immorality Defiles the Church

It was reported in the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 5:1-8) that there was sexual immorality happening among them. Actually it was an incestuous relationship between a member of the church and his stepmother. This kind of relationship was completely forbidden by the Old Testament law (Lev. 18:8; Duet. 22:30) and also by Roman law. Paul used his phrase "his father's wife" instead of "his mother". The omission of discipline for the woman implies that she was not a believer. The church is responsible for disciplining only its members, not unbelievers.

This is rarely happening in the churches of today. Today you have almost anything going on, and no one gets disciplined. There could be several reasons for this..but one reason is that, ministers are wanting large churches, large crowds, a big name, and lots of tithes and offerings coming in.

Disciplining its members could cut out some big tithers, could cause some to quit the church and go elsewhere, or not go anywhere at all.

The reason immorality among members should be judged and disciplined is so that their soul may be saved..but in this day and age many pastors refuse to do this...and it just grows and grows in the church like a cancer.

The pastor and those in the church who know this is going on are going to be held accountable when their judgement day comes

..and I would hate to be in their shoes.

In 1 Cor. 5:9-12 it says that we are not even to keep company with sexually immoral people. Of course Paul did not mean the people of this world or unbelievers..he meant those you know are saying they are believers, they sing in the choir, they play instruments in the church, they usher, sometimes are associate pastors, or deacons, they could even hold the janitor job in the church. sometimes they could do nothing in the church except hold the pew down. If we know they are sexually immoral, even covetous believers, or extortioners, or idolater , a reviler, or a drunkard, we are not to keep company with them..and not to even eat with them.

Many will say we are not to judge anyone..they will use the words of Jesus.."judge not lest ye be judged." And Jesus is right we are not to judge those who are outside the church , but those who are on the inside of the Church we are to judge..Paul even says to put away from yourselves the evil person.

True revival cannot come to a church unless it has been cleansed.

Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees

Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees

by Mark Batterson

How you handle offense has the potential to make you or break you as a leader.

You will offend.

The only question is: who will you offend?

And you will be offended.

The only question is: how will you respond to offense?

As God expands your sphere of influence, you'll offend more and more people. It's inevitable. But there is a right way to handle it and a wrong way to handle it.

First things first: who are you offending? Some leaders are so afraid of offending people that they offend God instead. Let me tell you who you should offend: thou shalt offend Pharisees! That is who Jesus offended. And he did so regularly and intentionally. He could have healed on any day of the week, right? I think he chose the Sabbath to confront the Pharisees who couldn't see the miracle through the theological trees!

So go ahead and offend Pharisees, but while you're at it, make sure you aren't one of them!

How do you know? Well, read the Gospels and see the distinctives of Pharisaicalism. Self-righteousness is chief among them. Pharisees are low on humility and high on criticism. That critical spirit results in a focus on the letter of the law with very little room for grace.

Pharisees use, or I should say misuse, the Bible as a weapon.

And they have an uncanny habit of focusing on what's wrong instead of celebrating what's right.

They bring division instead of unity. The sow discord instead of peace. They aren't advancing the kingdom of God. They are actually undermining it by backbiting and infighting. And instead of building up, they tear down. That's the tip of the iceberg, but I think a pretty good caricature.

Can I just come out and say it?

If we quit fighting with each other and converted all of our sideways energy into forward motion, I think we'd win the world to Christ. But we've got to love each other first. After all, they shall know us by our love!

Now let me flip the coin...

Thou shalt offend Pharisees, but don't be offended by them!

Proverbs 19:11 says: "It is to the glory of a man to overlook an offense." Circle that promise.

The more offenses you overlook, the more glory!

If you get offended by an offense, you quit playing offense and start playing defense. And when you get defensive, you stop leading and start reacting!

I made a decision a long time ago that I don't play defense.

I have an advocate. His name is Jesus. And that's who I'm accountable to. And of course, all of us need human accountability, but it'll be to the people we're in relationship with.

We need to submit to the righteous rebuke of a brother and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. No one is above or beyond rebuke or exhortation.

But you also need to consider the source. Is it coming from a genuine spirit of love? Or is there a critical spirit or mean spirit? Is the rebuke a love offering or tough love? Or does it derive from wrong motives?

Do you know the person, and do they know you? Now, no matter who is doing the rebuking or how they are doing, if the rebuke is accurate, then you need to repent. But if it's not, don't swallow the poison. You need to shake the dust off your feet.

And whatever you do, don't become defensive! Play offense!

You need the emotional tenacity of Nehemiah who said to a couple backbiters named Sanballat and Tobiah: "I am doing a great work so I can't come down." Don't let anyone or anything bring you down! Let it steel your resolve! Don't get sidetracked by sideways energy!

Press on with the mission.

Press into the presence of God.

Play offense.

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., a multi-site church and a leading fellowship in the nation's capital. Meeting in movie theaters and Metro stops throughout the D.C. area, NCC is attended by more than 70 percent single twenty-somethings. Mark's weekly podcast is one of the fastest growing in America. His book, In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars peaked at #44 on Amazon.com's best-seller list. He has just released his newest book entitled, Wild Goose Chase: Reclaiming the Adventure of Pursuing God. He and his wife Lora live on Capitol Hill. They have three children. Visit Mark at www.evotional.com/

Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees

Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees

by Mark Batterson

How you handle offense has the potential to make you or break you as a leader.

You will offend.

The only question is: who will you offend?

And you will be offended.

The only question is: how will you respond to offense?

As God expands your sphere of influence, you'll offend more and more people. It's inevitable. But there is a right way to handle it and a wrong way to handle it.

First things first: who are you offending? Some leaders are so afraid of offending people that they offend God instead. Let me tell you who you should offend: thou shalt offend Pharisees! That is who Jesus offended. And he did so regularly and intentionally. He could have healed on any day of the week, right? I think he chose the Sabbath to confront the Pharisees who couldn't see the miracle through the theological trees!

So go ahead and offend Pharisees, but while you're at it, make sure you aren't one of them!

How do you know? Well, read the Gospels and see the distinctives of Pharisaicalism. Self-righteousness is chief among them. Pharisees are low on humility and high on criticism. That critical spirit results in a focus on the letter of the law with very little room for grace.

Pharisees use, or I should say misuse, the Bible as a weapon.

And they have an uncanny habit of focusing on what's wrong instead of celebrating what's right.

They bring division instead of unity. The sow discord instead of peace. They aren't advancing the kingdom of God. They are actually undermining it by backbiting and infighting. And instead of building up, they tear down. That's the tip of the iceberg, but I think a pretty good caricature.

Can I just come out and say it?

If we quit fighting with each other and converted all of our sideways energy into forward motion, I think we'd win the world to Christ. But we've got to love each other first. After all, they shall know us by our love!

Now let me flip the coin...

Thou shalt offend Pharisees, but don't be offended by them!

Proverbs 19:11 says: "It is to the glory of a man to overlook an offense." Circle that promise.

The more offenses you overlook, the more glory!

If you get offended by an offense, you quit playing offense and start playing defense. And when you get defensive, you stop leading and start reacting!

I made a decision a long time ago that I don't play defense.

I have an advocate. His name is Jesus. And that's who I'm accountable to. And of course, all of us need human accountability, but it'll be to the people we're in relationship with.

We need to submit to the righteous rebuke of a brother and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. No one is above or beyond rebuke or exhortation.

But you also need to consider the source. Is it coming from a genuine spirit of love? Or is there a critical spirit or mean spirit? Is the rebuke a love offering or tough love? Or does it derive from wrong motives?

Do you know the person, and do they know you? Now, no matter who is doing the rebuking or how they are doing, if the rebuke is accurate, then you need to repent. But if it's not, don't swallow the poison. You need to shake the dust off your feet.

And whatever you do, don't become defensive! Play offense!

You need the emotional tenacity of Nehemiah who said to a couple backbiters named Sanballat and Tobiah: "I am doing a great work so I can't come down." Don't let anyone or anything bring you down! Let it steel your resolve! Don't get sidetracked by sideways energy!

Press on with the mission.

Press into the presence of God.

Play offense.

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., a multi-site church and a leading fellowship in the nation's capital. Meeting in movie theaters and Metro stops throughout the D.C. area, NCC is attended by more than 70 percent single twenty-somethings. Mark's weekly podcast is one of the fastest growing in America. His book, In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars peaked at #44 on Amazon.com's best-seller list. He has just released his newest book entitled, Wild Goose Chase: Reclaiming the Adventure of Pursuing God. He and his wife Lora live on Capitol Hill. They have three children. Visit Mark at www.evotional.com/

Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees

Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees

by Mark Batterson

How you handle offense has the potential to make you or break you as a leader.

You will offend.

The only question is: who will you offend?

And you will be offended.

The only question is: how will you respond to offense?

As God expands your sphere of influence, you'll offend more and more people. It's inevitable. But there is a right way to handle it and a wrong way to handle it.

First things first: who are you offending? Some leaders are so afraid of offending people that they offend God instead. Let me tell you who you should offend: thou shalt offend Pharisees! That is who Jesus offended. And he did so regularly and intentionally. He could have healed on any day of the week, right? I think he chose the Sabbath to confront the Pharisees who couldn't see the miracle through the theological trees!

So go ahead and offend Pharisees, but while you're at it, make sure you aren't one of them!

How do you know? Well, read the Gospels and see the distinctives of Pharisaicalism. Self-righteousness is chief among them. Pharisees are low on humility and high on criticism. That critical spirit results in a focus on the letter of the law with very little room for grace.

Pharisees use, or I should say misuse, the Bible as a weapon.

And they have an uncanny habit of focusing on what's wrong instead of celebrating what's right.

They bring division instead of unity. The sow discord instead of peace. They aren't advancing the kingdom of God. They are actually undermining it by backbiting and infighting. And instead of building up, they tear down. That's the tip of the iceberg, but I think a pretty good caricature.

Can I just come out and say it?

If we quit fighting with each other and converted all of our sideways energy into forward motion, I think we'd win the world to Christ. But we've got to love each other first. After all, they shall know us by our love!

Now let me flip the coin...

Thou shalt offend Pharisees, but don't be offended by them!

Proverbs 19:11 says: "It is to the glory of a man to overlook an offense." Circle that promise.

The more offenses you overlook, the more glory!

If you get offended by an offense, you quit playing offense and start playing defense. And when you get defensive, you stop leading and start reacting!

I made a decision a long time ago that I don't play defense.

I have an advocate. His name is Jesus. And that's who I'm accountable to. And of course, all of us need human accountability, but it'll be to the people we're in relationship with.

We need to submit to the righteous rebuke of a brother and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. No one is above or beyond rebuke or exhortation.

But you also need to consider the source. Is it coming from a genuine spirit of love? Or is there a critical spirit or mean spirit? Is the rebuke a love offering or tough love? Or does it derive from wrong motives?

Do you know the person, and do they know you? Now, no matter who is doing the rebuking or how they are doing, if the rebuke is accurate, then you need to repent. But if it's not, don't swallow the poison. You need to shake the dust off your feet.

And whatever you do, don't become defensive! Play offense!

You need the emotional tenacity of Nehemiah who said to a couple backbiters named Sanballat and Tobiah: "I am doing a great work so I can't come down." Don't let anyone or anything bring you down! Let it steel your resolve! Don't get sidetracked by sideways energy!

Press on with the mission.

Press into the presence of God.

Play offense.

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., a multi-site church and a leading fellowship in the nation's capital. Meeting in movie theaters and Metro stops throughout the D.C. area, NCC is attended by more than 70 percent single twenty-somethings. Mark's weekly podcast is one of the fastest growing in America. His book, In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars peaked at #44 on Amazon.com's best-seller list. He has just released his newest book entitled, Wild Goose Chase: Reclaiming the Adventure of Pursuing God. He and his wife Lora live on Capitol Hill. They have three children. Visit Mark at www.evotional.com/

Praying God's Word

Praying God's Word

Would you like your prayers to be more powerful? Pray the Scriptures. Hebrews 4:12 says that God's Word is alive and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. When we speak and pray the Scriptures, we are coming into agreement with God, and His power is released to answer our prayers.

Maybe you feel like God doesn't hear your prayers? Or maybe you don't know what to pray for in certain situations. On the Prayer Promises page, I have gathered Bible Scriptures such as 1John 5:14, which tells us we can have confidence in God. Not only does He hear our prayers, but He also promises to answer them when we pray in line with His will. He hastens to perform His Word

Benefits of Praying the Scriptures

Praying the Scriptures will increase your spiritual growth. You actually learn what God says about certain situations, and by praying His Word you will see His results. Many people have testified that just by praying the healing scriptures they have been healed, physically as well as mentally.

You can live a stress free life if you will only just pray because when you pray, you are turning the situation over to God. You're taking the situation out of your hands, and putting it in His hands. You're releasing it to God. These Scripture Prayers are very easy to read, and if you'll read them every day, even within a week, you will have memorized Scripture and won't even realize it until a situation arises, or until someone asks you to pray for them.

Commitment to Pray the Scriptures

Most people when they hear the word commitment, their first response is, "I don't have time for another commitment." But if you want your circumstances in your life to change you need to make a commitment to pray the Scriptures out loud everyday. Then you will see how praying with the powerful force of God's Word will cause you to be praying in victory. You will have victory in your life, in your home, and be able to handle situations as easily as Jesus would have handled them.

It doesn't take long to read these prayers, and you can print them out and take them with you, and read them whenever you want. But it is important for you to pray the prayers outloud, even if it is in a whisper, the spoken Word, makes things happen! Why pray your prayers out loud? Read How to Pray the Scriptures--http://www.prayingscriptures.com/how-to-use-book.shtml

How to Pray the Scriptures - Praying God's Word

www.prayingscriptures.com

How to use scriptures to pray for spiritual direction, spiritual healing by praying God's Word, how to pray to God, how to pray the scriptures. Here's how you get victory from prayer

"We Are Not That Smart"

Coffee Break

"We Are Not That Smart"

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6

In our opening scripture we are told to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. Now, I don't know about you, but when I read the word "all", I take it literally- that means that I believe it really means "all". I have had people tell me that you don't have to acknowledge God in everything (all). You don't have to ask Him about small things. They contend that He gave us a brain to think for ourselves so that is what we should do-- think for ourselves. Seems to me that "thinking for ourselves" is what got the human race in trouble in the first place. Adam was a perfect man, filled with knowledge beyond our wildest imagine-- after all, he named all the animals-- but when he leaned to his own understanding about the tree that the Lord forbid them to eat from, his "intellect" proved to not be very smart.

I learned a long time ago that God says what He means and means what He says. There was a reason why He said, "all", instead of "some" of your ways or "most" of your ways. Acknowledging Him in all our ways may seem foolish, but if we would do it, it would save us a lot of heartache, grief, unnecessary pain, we would make better choices and decisions, and we would find that things would go a whole lot better for us in the long run.

We are told that there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end leads to death. In other words, in our human understanding of certain situations, it may seem right, but it could kill you! Not wanting to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways boils down to being a pride issue.

We don't know better what to do than He does-- even in the smallest problem. We need His help. We need Him to direct our paths. We need Him to show us what to do. Have you ever been around little children who "know everything". Everything you try to tell them--- "I know". Or when you try to help them--- "I can do it". You know they don't know and you know they can't do it. I think we act like that toward our heavenly Father as well. We think we know everything, can do everything and have everything under control when we really don't. And He knows we don't, but He waits patiently for us to decide that we can't do it and then turn to Him. And once we do, He is right there ready to help us.

Have a great day. We might as well admit that we don't know as much as we think we do and that God does!

For further reading:

Proverbs 16:25; 14:12

Psalms 37:23

Jeremiah 10:23

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

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"Complaining"

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011

"Complaining"

"Wherefore doth a living man complain.....? Lamentations 3:39a

Recently, it seems like everywhere I go I wind up in the company of complaining people... and many of them are professing Christians. The complaints that I hear are not confined to one area, but every area. I hear complaints about everything from the weather to what someone else is doing. People tend to complain about everything that doesn't go their way. We want what we want, when we want it and the way we want it. If it is not to our liking-- we complain about it.

The problem with complaining is that it shows a lack of gratitude. When you complain about your food, it shows that you aren't grateful for the fact that you have something to eat and are not going hungry. When you complain about your spouse, it shows that you aren't thankful for that person. And whether you realize it or not, the primary focus and object of your complaint is God. You are saying that what He has done for you is not good enough. This was the problem with the Israelites in the wilderness. You would have thought that they would have been so thankful to be out from under Egyptian bondage that there would never be a complaint in their mouths ever again--- wrong. They complained about everything, even the blessings the Lord was sending them.

Another problem is that complaining is contagious. When you are around someone and they start complaining, it is easy to get pulled into that complaining spirit yourself. (If you ever talk to any one about politics you'll see this happen real quick.)

The Bible tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6) As I said earlier, complaining comes as a result of things not going the way we want them to go. The truth of the matter is, as long as we live in this world, things will not always go the way we want them to go-- they will go the opposite more times then not. There are plenty of reasons to complain all around us. But we need to learn how to be content with such as we have so we won't be guilty of complaining. If we will have an attitude of gratitude- regardless of the fact that all we have is "manna" and "no meat", then we will not be complaining people. Because when you get down to it, the blessings and good things that we have are far more than we should have.

Have a great day. Let your gratitude outweigh your complaining.

For further reading:
Psalm 144:13-15
Exodus 16:8
John 6:43
1 Corinthians 10:10

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
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