Complain Less, Glorify More

"Do everything without complaining or arguing." -Philippians 2:14

Complaining... let's face it, I'll be the first to admit, we all do it, and probably everyday. We seem to lump this "sin" into the pile with gossip, discontentment, and impatience; sins we see as more "respectable" (as Jerry Bridges would say) rather than as hated by the very God who spoke the universe into existence and who bled and died for us. Paul commands the believer in Philippians to do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing, and that means EVERYTHING. Convicting...I think so.

Complaining is easy to do, especially in a society that promotes it. We are supposed to get what we want, when we want it and if not then we are excused to be upset. Customer service lacking perfection causes us to complain, traffic during rush hour leads us to complain, church starting late= complaints...and the list goes on. But why? Why do we complain so much, and about everything?! The truth is, we complain because we aren't satisfied in who God is, we aren't wrapped up in the gift of salvation we have been given, and we are not fixed on Jesus.

I read a devotional by Charles Spurgeon last week that touched on this very command. Here is what he has to say about the matter: "If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified." This is a reality! If we would only take our eyes of ourselves and fix them back on Christ, where they belong, we might complain less and find more joy. Our hearts were not meant to be satisfied by anything in this world apart from Christ, and when we allow ourselves to be fixated on the things in this world that attempt to satisfy we find ourselves discouraged and often times complaining. No amount of money, no relationship, no job, no car, no amount of beauty...NOTHING will satisfy our hearts but Jesus. Even the gifts He gives us must be recognized as just that, gifts from Him.

If we would only stop each time we were tempted to complain and remember the cross, and the gift of grace...would we complain less and glorify Him more?