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Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Don’t Complain, Impart Grace

 



 

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

—Ephesians 4:29

 

 

Does complaining do you any good? Does it produce life, joy, and peace? As murmuring was for the Israelites wandering in the desert for forty years, complaining appears to be the norm for many people. 

 

Complaining, while it may make us feel justified, is a destructive force. It harms us and our relationships. The attitude of “they are wrong, and I am right” leads many people to complain about their marriage, relationships, family, finances, church, and anything that does not agree with their opinion. 

 

How do you react to a person who says or does something that disagrees with your opinion? 

 

Everything the Lord has to say in His Word about complaining is negative. When the Israelites complained, God was displeased and angry (Numbers 11:1). They were His children who complained from a lack of belief in His guidance and provision. They didn’t trust in Him. 

 

Complaining is simply a symptom of unbelief. 

 

We complain when we lack trust in God and His Word, and complaining indicates the lack of trust we have in our hearts. When we murmur and complain about our fellow believers, we “accuse the brethren.” The devil is the “accuser of the brethren.” Do we want to be his instrument? A critical and complaining heart also keeps us from the promises of God. Look at the Israelites who complained and wandered in the desert for forty years. It should have taken eleven days to reach the Promised Land.

 

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35).

The “treasure” of a complaining heart is evil.  

 

Real faith in God and words spoken out of the “good treasure” of faith are life-giving, enriching, and encouraging. Real faith flows from absolute peace with God and unconditional trust in His goodness. It empowers our choice to walk in the Spirit instead of our flesh. When God is the source of our life, we can have peace regardless of the world’s craziness. Jesus calls us to be salt and light, not bitter and irate. The joy of the Lord is our strength. There is no lasting joy in the heart of a criticizing, murmuring complainer.

 

If you are tired of wandering around in the dryness of your desert, stop complaining! Trust in the Lord, give Him thanks and speak words of life and peace! We will never agree on everything, but we can agree that God is good and reveals His goodness through us! Don’t throw away good years wandering in misery! Do you want to bring forth good things out of the treasure of Jesus in your heart? Don’t murmur and complain. Build others up. Speak His best into their lives. You not only encourage others. You also encourage your faith. Eleven days is much better than forty years.

 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/07/dont-complain-impart-grace.html

 

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