08 Saturday Dec 2012
Posted in Quotes
Tags
attitude, blessed weekend pastor, Christian quotes, difficulties and miracles, faith hope and love, Faith Is, inspirational quotes, let me grow up, mess, patience, seeds of yesterday, shake well before using, taught to fly, test, the edge of faith, trial, true faith is, victim, victory, whining
Have a Blessed Weekend
Pastor
If you enjoyed these you might want to check-out Inspirational Prayer & Faith Quotes, Victory Picture Quotes and Encouraging Faith Quotes (I).
20 Saturday Oct 2012
Posted in Quotes
Tags
adversity, Albert Einstein, Christian quotes, desires be endless, don't look in the mirror, Gabrielle Douglas, inspirational quotes, John Maxwell quote on leadership, Joyce Meyer, mess into a message, no to the good, nothing is a miracle everything is miracle, one man with courage Andrew Jackson, overcome, Psalm 23, stay free, Success is a journey, the glory goes up to Him, Thomas Fuller, what doesn't kill you, whining, yes to be best
07 Tuesday Feb 2012
Posted in Our Journey Into The Promised Land
Tags
faith walk, lusting, mixed multitude, mourning, mutter, Numbers 11:1-16, trickle down effect, whining
Yesterday I began to talk about the high cost of complaining. It was noted that God had contempt for those with a complaining spirit because it revealed a heart of ingratitude. Today we will see that this very same complaining spirit is highly contagious.
The Mixed Multitude Began To Mutter
“the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting…” (Numbers 11:4a)
You might be asking what a “mixed multitude” is exactly. When I was a kid “mixed company” was a group that consisted of both girls and boys. But in this case, it is a large group of people consisting of both Egyptians and Israelites. Yes, there were some Egyptians who followed Israel out of Egypt. It was this group that went “lusting” or “had longings” for the old days. The idea here wass simply that the mixed multitude began to vocalize their desires for what they left behind in Egypt.
All This Led to the Children Of Israel Beginning To Mourn.
“…and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?” (Numbers 11:4b)
Here is the first link in the awful chain of low-level complaining. Let one person start complaining to others about what’s wrong and pretty soon others will link up with the first link of complainers. Complaining is always contagious. What makes all this worse is they were “crying complainers.” Yuck! They were whiners who really whined.
Mark Twain once said, “Don’t complain and talk about all your problems—80 percent of people don’t care; the other 20 percent will think you deserve them.”
It is not good when some of the chief complainers are believers! If believers are going to complain then the world is definitely not going to give God the praise and adoration He deserves. Most of our complaints are about the same issues found here… Egypt. We too want the things of Egypt and start complaining about it!
Even Moses Began To Moan.
Moses began to complain to God about the complications all this whining was doing to the congregation. What Pharoah and his armies couldn’t do to the man of God, this mummering multitude did in just a few short days.
“And Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. 11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their father? 13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.” (Numbers 11:10-13)
Notice the trickle down effect. Moses’ plate was full! Moses was now complaining about the people’s complaining.
“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)
God never intended Moses to bear the full load of this people. However, though Moses complained to God, we never read once that he ever complained before the people or spread his malcontent.
Complainers not only accuse God of unjust treatment, but they demonstrate their lack of faith in God by their complaint. Faith and complaining are polar opposites. If you want to destroy your “faith walk” allow a complaining spirit to grow. They will mutually exclude each other. Moses’ had become so negative he doubted even God could handle these circumstances.
“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)
Have you shortened God’s arms and hands by your complaints? Most of us do not have the history with God as Moses did. God basically said to him, “You are going to see My word come to pass in your life. Nothing has changed Moses. My hands will deliver you.”
We may think our own issue of complaining against the Lord does not affect anyone but ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even if you never open your big mouth to bring accusation against God, it will manifest itself. As we see with Moses, it begins to eat away at our faith walk. It is impossible to believe God and walk in faith with a contentious, cancerous complaining spirit eating its way through our belief system.
Do you want to be different from almost every other believer you meet? Crucify the complaining spirit that wants to raise its ugly head in your life. Your faith will grow and you will bless the Lord in so many ways.
Blessings,
Pastor
05 Sunday Feb 2012
Posted in Our Journey Into The Promised Land
Tags
Andrew Carnegie, complain about what they had, complain about what you used to have, complained about what they didn't have, displeasing to the Lord, ingratitude for God's care, murmuring, Numbers 11, Samuel Leibowitz, whining
Complaining is an activity all of us have participated in at one time or another. Most of us utter complaints without even thinking. It seems almost natural to vocalize our displeasure when things don’t quite turn out as we think they should.
If you have occasion to watch the evening news, you get the idea that complaining has become the national pastime. It seems that the largest portion of the news is devoted to the discussion of who is upset with whom. The reason the newscaster has to throw in a story with a happy ending at the end of the newscast is to avert nationwide depression.
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.
I have had to learn the hard way that God takes complaining, grumbling, murmuring, criticizing, whining, nagging, objecting, and fault-finding very seriously.
It is interesting to note that the antonym for complaining is praising!
Numbers 11 gives us a good idea of just how serious the sin of complaining is before the Lord. When it is all boiled down, complaining is an accusation against God. Complaining accuses God of unjust treatment.
There are several reasons God has contempt for complainers and grumblers. One of the main reasons is because…
“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)
The type of complaining we’re dealing with here isn’t merely the recognition of obvious problems. The Hebrew word for complain, anan means, “to mourn.” Their complaining was a whining that stemmed from self-pity.
This type of incessant whining and mourning for the way things used to be “displeased the Lord.” This reveals God was exceedingly grieved and hurt by the complaints of the people. It stirred up the Lord’s righteous indignation. Wow!
The People Complained About What They Didn’t Have.
“…and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?” (Numbers 11:4b)
Well none of us have ever done this? Right?
These folks here were not the first to complain about what they didn’t have. We too will not be the last to complain about what we do not have. But we do need to know and understand how God feels about those with a spirit of ingratitude.
The point is we need to appreciate what God has provided before we start contemplating upon what is missing from our lives. If not… it may led us down a dark, dark alley of ingratitude.
The People Complained About What 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)
I have never lusted after “leeks, onions and garlic” but that is not the issue here. Egypt and the things from Egypt are reminders of our old lost condition. The Israelites were complaining that their old life was better than their new life.
Some Christians have said, “I never had this many problems before I got saved!”
The Israelites’ choice of words, when describing what they used to eat in Egypt, sounds a lot like today. They said, “…we did eat in Egypt freely…” They seemed to have conveniently forgotten about the fact that they were in bondage in Egypt.
Egypt is easy. Sin is easy. There is no discipline there. There is no self-denial. It’s hard to imagine these people ever actually regretted leaving a state of bondage because it meant self-denial on their part.
The People Complained About What They Had.
“But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” (Numbers 11:6)
“But now our appetites are gone, and day after day we have nothing to eat but this manna” (NLT)
Wasn’t it a crying shame? All they had to eat was the heavenly food sent down to them from the very hand of God. But God’s supply was old hat now. They wanted something new and exciting. They wanted T-Bone! (with leeks, onions and garlic of course)
How long was this manna situation gonna last? (6-9 months) Remember, they will be spying out the land in the next couple of chapters. Now all these complaining, murmuring, criticizing spirits will cause them to eat manna for 40 years.
The statement that “there is nothing at all, besides this manna” was a gross exaggeration (v. 6). Yes, the Israelites could not have used/eaten their flocks brought out of Egypt on a daily basis without depleting them. The truth is they did get to eat meat at certain special religious ceremonies and on other occasions.
When you totally focus upon what you don’t have, you quickly forget that which you do have. What you do possess loses all value.
Andrew Carnegie, the multimillionaire, left $1 million for one of his relatives. In return, he cursed Carnegie thoroughly because he left $365 million to public charities and cut him off with just one measly million.
Samuel Leibowitz, criminal lawyer and judge, saved 78 men from the electric chair. Not one ever bothered to thank him.
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 prearrangement, 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. They live for the present.
Today you are either appreciative of the Lord’s provisions or you are not appreciative. If you have not praised and thanked the Lord today for all His blessings, then you are living on the edge of ingratitude. The real question is whether your complaints or your praise reached the throne of God?
Blessings,
Pastor
