The High Cost of Low Level Complaining (Part 2) The Results Are Contagious

30 Thursday Aug 2012

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christianity, complaints are contagious, dealing with doubts, don't pray your problems pray your solutions, fatalistic conclusions, get a word, Holtz quote, lack of faith, lust, moan, Moses, mutter, Numbers 11:14-23, Numbers 11:4-13. mix multitude, only see the problems, real faith

Yesterday, I began blogging about the high cost of complaining and how vocally venting our displeasure with God reveals our ingratitude. Today, I continue by noting how complaining just doesn’t go into the air and quietly dissipate. When we choose to complain…it usually becomes contagious. It goes viral like a bad internet video. Listen as the story continues in Numbers 11.

A Mixed Multitude Began To Mutter.

And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting… Numbers 11:4a

This “mixed multitude” consisted of Jews along with some of the Egyptians that had followed the Israelites out of Egypt. Egyptians came along for the ride for various reasons. But it was this group which first began to “lust” or long for the way things used to be. It was one thing to possess internal desires for something. It was another to vocalize those desires and encourage others to voice their displeasure.

The Children Of Israel Began To Mourn As Well

…and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, ‘Who shall give us flesh to eat?’ Numbers 11:4b

I talked about this a little yesterday. But note, this is the first link in the awful chain of complaining. Let one person or small group of people start complaining to others about what’s wrong with the church, an organization, or leader and soon thereafter others will link up with the complainers. Muttering complaints is easy. Fixing issues is hard. This is why so many choose to complain… it is the easy road and requires no effort. The problem is that complaining is contagious. Mark Twain once said, “Don’t complain and talk about all your problems. Eighty percent of people don’t care; the other twenty percent will think you deserve them.”

Even Moses Began To Groan and Moan

Under the weight of these complaints, God’s man Moses began to crumble. With nowhere else to turn, he voices his complaints to the Lord.

11 So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’ Numbers 11:11-13

This would be funny if it weren’t so serious. Moses feels afflicted. Like a mother who is up all night with a crying baby, Moses is tired, beat-up, and apparently not taking care of his own personal needs. He isn’t caring for one child…but a multitude of immature infants. He knows he doesn’t have the resources to meet all the demands of the people. Remember the people are not starving or dying. They are simply complaining because they want more. As a result of all this negativity, Moses draws some rather fatalistic conclusions.

14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.” Numbers 11:14-15

When death becomes a suitable alternative for you, your situation has deteriorated and you’re losing control. Moses appears to have forgotten he was still conversing with the same God which delivered Israel from the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea. The pillar of clouds and the fire by night were still in operation above his head. Miracles were still flowing from God’s hand.

God never intended for Moses to bear the full load of this people. Though Moses complained to God, we never read that he ever complained before the people or spread his malcontent. This is the difference between the godly and the ungodly. There will be times when we need to unload our concerns. If we must…it is ok to tell the Lord about what is going on in our life. But, when we complain to others first, before talking to God…it reveals our lack of faith. It reveals we don’t really want solutions, we simply desire to complain about how bad things are for us.

Unfortunately, Moses arrived to the point where he even doubted God could handle these circumstances.

21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. 22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? 23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” Numbers 11:21-23

Moses is like so many people…he only sees the problems. He can only comprehend God answering via his own personal resources. Listen, we are not really praying when we are believing in our own resources. Moses wasn’t praying for God’s solutions. He was praying about His problems. When you pray… don’t pray your problems, instead pray for God’s solutions. God knows about your problems. You know about your problems. It doesn’t take any faith to believe you have problems. Real faith reaches into God’s pockets and believes He will bless you with heavenly resources. Moses needed to pray His word. (Food for a month.) Instead, he continued to blather to God about His problems.

There is a fork in the road today for all of us. We can choose the path of continued complaining. This is the easy road. Here we can join the multitudes which choose to complain and gripe about all those things God doesn’t do for us. God will never move for this group because no one on this road expresses faith. Praise the Lord there is another road for God’s people. On this path people choose not to complain but believe in what God has revealed. These folks look to the Lord because He has spoken. Prayer is a joy for these folks because they pray God’s solutions not their problems.

Blessings,

Pastor

The High Cost of Low Level Complaining (Part 1) Ingratitude

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Dying to Self

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accusation against God, anan, attitude of ingratitude, be thankful in everything, bondage, complained about what they actually did have, complained about what they didn't have, complained about what they used to have, complaints, displeased the Lord, God takes complaining seriously, I Thessalonians 5:18, ingrates, malfeasance, manna, no longer grateful, Numbers 11:1-6, our ingratitude for God's care, pity party, royal court, slavery, spiritual imaturity, the kings banquet, to mourn, tramp, whine

I am sure if you are like me, you have done your fair share of complaining. For many of us voicing complaints is our first response when events go awry. Listen to reality tv or the evening news at the barrage of displeasure coming from people’s mouths. I don’t know about you, but I am always glad to hear a piece of good news when it is provided.

The Bible has much to say about the practice of complaining. The Scriptures tell us not only what people complain about, but also how it affects others and how God responds to it. We may not take our complaining seriously, but God does. When it is all boiled down, complaining is an accusation against God. Complaining accuses God of malfeasance.

It is impossible to fulfill the command to be “thankful in everything” (I Thessalonians 5:18) when you are a chronic complainer. The only way to break this curse of complaining is to become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and learn how to be thankful for all of God’s movements in our life.
Complaining reveals much about us. The first issue the high cost of low-level complaining uncovers is our ingratitude for God’s care. Listen to the story from the Children of Israel’s journey to the Promised Land.

And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” Numbers 11:1

We might want to side with these people except they have done nothing except complain since they were freed from the bondage of Egypt. The word here for complain is the word “anan“. It means to mourn. They were literally mourning, whining, and weeping because they pitied themselves. Was life so bad for them now that they just decided to sit down and throw a pity-party for themselves? Have you learned who shows up when you throw a pity party for yourself? … Only you. Who else would want to attend?

All this complaining “displeased the Lord.” The Father was exceedingly grieved and hurt by the complaints of the people. It also stirred up His righteous indignation and fire broke out in the camp. Was all this displeasure with God truly vindicated? What were the people actually complaining about in this occasion?

First, the people were vocally venting about what they didn’t have. Most of these complaints revolved around food.

…and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? Numbers 11:4b

The foodies wanted more, especially in the meat department. This craving for “flesh” led them to whine and vent about their lack.

Next, the people complained about they used to have.

We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: Numbers 11:5

Remember these Israelites were just freed from Egyptian slavery. Now they were complaining how their old life was better than what they were experiencing now as freed people of God. What a testimony! Sadly, believers do the same thing. When they find themselves under pressure you hear the same types of statements, “I never had this many problems before I got saved!” It is true. You don’t have many problems when you are in bondage.

Did they really eat freely in Egypt? How many meals can you make out of “leeks, onions and garlic?” I agree these items were on the menu before, but these were about all they had. They had conveniently forgotten about the fact they were in bondage just a few months prior. Sometimes freedom means self-denial. Fantasizing about the “good old days” of bondage will only assure we stay in bondage.

The people complained about what they didn’t have, what they used to have, and also they vented about what they actually did have. Now we come to the heart of the issue.

But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. Numbers 11:6

Someone doesn’t like the taste of manna. Why not? This stuff only comes from heaven itself. It is only a miracle food. It only comes from the hand of God. Isn’t it amazing how quickly a miracle becomes so “normal” we are no longer grateful for its provision in our life. How quickly the children of God wanted something new, something better, and something more. Again, many believers operate in the same fashion. The church is no longer exciting enough. The Bible is no longer “feeding” us like it used to in the beginning. We treat the things of God like the Children of Israel regarded the miracle of manna. They wanted something new and better and so does the church of the twenty-first century. Here is the point. When the things of God are no longer exciting and appealing to us, we are in deep trouble. What terrible ingrates we must appear to God when we complain about all that we do not have rather than thanking Him for what He has graciously provided. Just like Israel, we too possess an attitude of ingratitude.

Many years ago, as the story is told, a devout king was disturbed by the ingratitude of his royal court. He prepared a large banquet for them. When the king and his royal guests were seated, by prior arrangement, a beggar shuffled into the hall, sat down at the king’s table, and gorged himself with food. Without saying a word, he then left the room.
The guests were furious and asked permission to seize the tramp and tear him limb from limb for his ingratitude. The king replied, “That beggar has done only once to an earthly king what each of you does three times each day to God. You sit there at the table and eat until you are satisfied. Then you walk away without recognizing God, or expressing one word of thanks to Him.”

Ingratitude denotes spiritual immaturity. Infants do not always appreciate what parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what you did for me yesterday, but what are you doing for me today. The past is meaningless and so is the future. If we continue to operate as toddlers, we will never grow. Those who are mature are deeply appreciative of all God’s provisions both past and present. Choose to be a mature and grateful believer. Appreciate all God has done and is doing in your life and cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

Blessings,

Pastor

God First, Others Second, Me Last!

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Dying to Self

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I have spent the last few blogs discussing what it means to empty one’s self. We are all free to be nothing, if we wish. This story below is about what can happen when someone empties himself and puts another person’s needs before his own. It is about a man who, through giving it all away, literally transformed a whole camp of soldiers.

Angus was a Scottish prisoner in one of the camps filled with Americans, Australians, and British who had helped build the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai. The camp had become an ugly situation. A dog-eat-dog mentality had set in. Allies would literally steal from each other and cheat each other; men would sleep on their packs and yet have them stolen from under their heads. Survival was everything. The law of the jungle prevailed…until the news of Angus McGillivray’s death spread throughout the camp. Rumors spread in the wake of his death. No one could believe big Angus had succumbed. He was strong, one of those whom they had expected to be the last to die. Actually, it wasn’t the fact of his death that shocked the men, but the reason he died. Finally they pieced together the true story.

The Scottish soldiers took their buddy system very seriously. Their buddy was called their “mucker,” and these soldiers believed that is was literally up to each of them to make sure their “mucker” survived. Angus’s mucker though was dying and everyone had given up on him, everyone, of course but Angus. He had made up his mind that his friend would not die. Someone had stolen his mucker’s blanket. So Angus gave him his own, telling his mucker that he had “just come across an extra one.” Likewise, every mealtime, Angus would get his rations and take them to his friend, stand over him and force him to eat them, again stating that he was able to get “extra food.” Angus was going to do anything and everything to see that his buddy got what he needed to recover.

But as Angus’s mucker began to recover, Angus collapsed, slumped over, and died. The doctors discovered that he had died of starvation complicated by exhaustion. He had been giving of his own food and shelter. He had given everything he had — even his very life. The ramifications of his acts of love and unselfishness had a startling impact on the compound.

As word circulated of the reason for Angus McGillivray’s death, the feel of the camp began to change. Suddenly men began to focus on their friends, and the humanity of living beyond survival, of giving oneself away. They began to pool their talents — one was a violin maker, another an orchestra leader, another a cabinet maker, another a professor. Soon the camp had an orchestra full of homemade instruments and a church called the “Church Without Walls” that was so powerful, so compelling, that even the Japanese guards attended. The men began a university, a hospital, and a library system. The place was transformed; love revived all because one man named Angus gave all he had for his friend. For many of those men this turnaround meant survival. What happened is an awesome illustration of the potential unleashed when one person actually gives it all away.

Most of us won’t have an opportunity to literally die for others. But, there are examples of this kind of self-emptying all around us…Dying to self — putting others first – not looking for credit or self-promotion – not doing things out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

This is from Ernest Gordon’s true account of life in a World War II Japanese prison camp, Through the Valley of the Kwai.

Blessings,

Pastor