I hope I’m not the only one who falls so easily into the trap of grumbling and complaining. After all, it seems like such a little thing! And, let’s face it, there are plenty of things to gripe about. Yet, in reality, we’re not just complaining about our circumstances or other people, but against our Sovereign God. We’re called to shine the light into a dark world, but it’s hard to be shining when we’re whining!

So, what should we be doing? And what is the ultimate answer to the things we gripe about?

Welcome to Soul Survival where I blog through the Bible in a Year along with Bible studies and other Christian living posts. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each Bible in a Year post. And … this year I’m also reading through the Bible on YouTube. You can check out my channel here. The daily emails now have a link to both the Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up.

Today’s Readings:

Exodus 15 & 16
Psalm 18.20-27
Proverbs 6.12-15
Matthew 21.23-46

The Ultimate Answer to Our Grumbling & Complaining

Exodus 15 & 16:

Grumbling & Complaining

The children of Israel had just watched God deliver them in a powerful way. He had parted the Red Sea and allowed them to cross over on dry land and then completely destroyed their enemies. What a celebration that must have been! There was singing and dancing. The whole congregation glorifying God!

But then … three days later … three days! Their concern over their physical needs caused them to grumble against Moses. In this case, they needed fresh water. Now that seems like a pretty good reason to gripe but the text in Exodus 15.25 says that God was testing them.

And again God worked miraculously by making the water drinkable. In fact, He did exceeding abundantly above all they could ask or think, as He so often does for us (Eph. 3:20), by leading them to Elim where there were “twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees” (Ex. 15:27).

Then a few verses and a month later we read:

Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, ‘Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger’ (16:2-3).

Again it was all about physical needs.

Seriously?

From our vantage point, it seems so foolish of them, after all God had done, to so quickly throw aside their trust in Him. But … before we get too critical, what about us?

God saves us. We’re rejoicing and giving our testimony. But then, God doesn’t do something the way we want. Perhaps, we pray and don’t see the answer right away or it isn’t the answer we expected. All of a sudden, we’re complaining because God isn’t working according to our plan. Instead, He requires us to trust Him.

We’re tempted to go back to Egypt—back to our old way of living. Or at the least, we start to wonder why when we’re “doing so much for Him,” God is so unfair to us. 

Genuine Concerns

But what about things that are wrong? The moral condition of our country, the partisan self-serving attitudes of our elected leaders, the marginalization of our faith, the erosion of religious liberties, and even outright attacks on Christianity. Shouldn’t we be complaining about those things?

Let’s look again at a passage I mentioned yesterday, 1 Corinthians 10.13. This time let’s look at it in context starting in verse 6:

6 Now these things [the Old Testament passages] became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

These things were written so we don’t make the same mistakes they did. Notice grumbling and complaining are listed right there alongside idolatry and sexual immorality. Ouch!

In fact …

Shining or Whining?

We are, instead, to:

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that [we] may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world (Phil. 2:14-15).

It’s impossible to be shining and whining at the same time.

But back to those things that really are wrong?

Complaining accomplishes next to nothing, except to make us sound like the rest of the world. Instead, we should meditate on the gospel and the other truths of Scripture. We should meditate on the character of God, His love, His goodness, and His sovereignty.

Then we can shine the light of truth and give hope to those who have lost hope. We can offer them the gospel, our hope of an eternity without fear, strife, or tears, and where all wrongs will be made right.

We can pray.

Do we really believe that prayer changes things? Sometimes I have to admit that I’ve done so much complaining about something that I feel like I’ve prayed. But if I’m honest, I haven’t really asked God to intervene (Jas. 4.2, 5.14).

We can get involved.

Instead of bemoaning the thousands of abortions performed in this nation month after month, we can support our local Christian pregnancy centers, we can pray for and provide help for young women and men who want to keep their babies.

Or we can just keep complaining.

The Ultimate Answer

Ultimately, we must keep an eternal perspective.

This world is not our home. We are pilgrims, just passing through. We should be good neighbors and citizens, but politics is not the ultimate answer. Throwing more money at a problem is not the answer. Complaining is not the answer. Anger is not the answer.

There is only one real answer:

¹ And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. ² For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. ³ I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. ⁴ And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵ that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1 Cor. 2).

The answer is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It’s the gospel. It’s the truth of God. We have the answer. Let’s not waste time grumbling and complaining. Let’s be who Christ has called us to be and share it with others.

Today’s Other Readings:

Now just a few thoughts on today’s other readings …

Psalm 18.20-27:

Our Righteousness Comes from God

Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight (v. 24).

Thankfully we don’t come to Him on the basis of our own righteousness. We are to come to Him on the basis of Christ’s righteousness which has been imputed to us. Philippians 3 says:

8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

Proverbs 6.12-15:

Sin Permeates Everything

Sometimes we think we can keep sin in some corner of our lives, but sin is like the yeast in bread. It permeates every part. Left unconfessed and unrepented of, it will affect the mouth (what we say), the eyes (how we view things and what others see in us), the feet (where we go), and the fingers (what we do) because it comes out of the heart.

Matthew 21.23-46:

Which Did the Will of the Father?

As the time of Christ’s death draws near, the religious leaders continue to look for ways to trap Him, but Jesus doesn’t pull away or back off. In fact, in this chapter, He confronts them with two parables aimed right at them! The first is “The Parable of the Two Sons”:

28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.”

But, once again, let’s be careful not to point too gleefully at the religious people of Jesus’ time without looking at ourselves. How often do we read and study and know God’s Word and say we will obey, … while we procrastinate and justify, and look for the footnote or loophole which says our situation is the exception? How often do we justify “our little sin” because of all the “good” things we are doing for God?

Let’s Pray:

Lord, help us not to justify our sins, not to look for loopholes. Help us to be quick to repent and willing to obey. Help us refrain from complaining and wanting life our own way, instead of trusting in You and Your timing. Give us hearts to pray, the will and the desire to share the gospel, and the willingness to be who You have called us to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about idols of the heart, dealing with difficult people and strong-willed children, and about the seriousness of promises. We’ll also look at pride, religious pretenders, and the devastating effects of adultery.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them and other Christian living posts like my series “Winning the Battle over Anxiety.” You can read the first one in the series here. 

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.