Are you a complainer?

“Now the people complained…”. Numbers 11:1

Yesterday I filled my car up with gas. I put in $50 but that didn’t fill the gas tank. The price was close to $6 a gallon! Then as I was driving on the freeway a car entering the freeway came to far to his left and almost hit me. I was thinking, the cost of living is so much higher in Orange County than Monterey and people are safer drivers.

Complaining can seem like a favorite pastime for many people. We complain about the weather, we complain about inflation and the rise in prices, we complain about the traffic and about other people, we even complain about the church.

Complaining was also second nature for the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness for 40 years. It was only three days into their wilderness journey that they began to complain. They complained about their hardships and the wilderness food. They wanted something different from the manna that they had to eat day in and day out. The food they had eaten while in bondage in Egypt seemed so much better.

When we complain we fall into the devil’s trap. Satan delights when we complain because it shows that God has not provided and care for us as we think He should. The Israelites forgot the hardship they endured in Egypt as slaves. Grumbling flows when we think that we deserve something better.

The apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:14 “do everything without complaining or grumbling.”

Thought For Today: Are you a grumbler or complainer? Seek to concentrate on the Grace God has bestowed on you through faith in Christ. When you focus on the grace of God it can move you from complaining to gratitude.

Today’s Prayer Focus: Pray that God would give you the proper attitude and move you from complaining to be content and thankful. Deo Volente.