Friday March 11, 2011

 

 

Part 3

Complaining is Not a Fruit of the Spirit

From my notes at Ladies’ Fellowship

 

A few months ago, Jesse, our three-year-old grandson was at our place when he said, “Grandma, I must go pooh.”

I went to the bathroom to help him, then waited while he did his business. Before long he said, “Something in this room smells like pooh.”

I said, “It’s you, Jesse, because you are poohing in the potty.”

He said, “No, Grandma, it’s something in this room.”

 

 

Isn’t that what we do? Many times we blame others when we are the ones with the bad, smelly attitude.

We complain…

because she’s not doing things the way I like it done

because he doesn’t pay enough attention to me

because someone never calls me…and on and on it goes.

 

 

God is not impressed with complainers.

“It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than to share a house with a disagreeing, quarrelsome, and scolding woman” (Proverbs 25:24 Amplified Bible).

 

 

God is impressed by those who have good attitudes.

“My servant Caleb has a different attitude” (Numbers 14:24 NIV).

It was because of his attitude that Caleb reached the promised land. However, he lived with the same frustrations as all the others who were in the process of leaving Egypt. While everyone else (thousands of them) complained about the food, water, and traveling conditions, he kept a good attitude. They complained when they walked and when they were in their tents.

There were probably other men who were more qualified to lead the children of Israel into the promised land, but God chose Caleb and Joshua because they were the only two men (of those who left Egypt) who wholeheartedly followed the Lord.

 

 

 

Another thing people complain about is other people. The complaint may be about almost anything.

One of my favorite verses – that God brings to my mind when I spend too much time thinking about what someone else is doing – is John 21:22 when Peter asked Jesus about John and what he understood was going to happen.

Jesus said, “What is that to you? You follow me.”  (In other words mind your own business, and make sure you are keeping your eyes on Me and on what I am doing in your life.

 

 

When you complain you raise your stress level.

“Anxiety in a person’s heart weights them down” (Proverbs 12:25 NIV).

 

 

It is not work that kills a person’s spirit – it is discontentment.

Discontentment secrets acids.

Contentment secretes sweet juices.

 

 

Complaining is an immature, inward focus.

If life isn’t what you want, change it…

by changing your attitude.

 

 

Complaining is not a “building” attitude but a “tearing down” attitude.

“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands” (Proverbs 14:1 New King James).

 

 

 

We were on a Transport For Christ chapel one time when a truck driver came inside. He sat next to me, so after some discussion with the rest of people in the chapel, I asked how he was doing. He said, “Apparently not so well. I just called my wife. I would like to call home just once that she didn’t complain.” 

Was she building or tearing down her house?

 

 

Gratefulness is a journey that takes daily discipline day after day after day.

 

 

“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29 NLT).