November 21
Ezek 42:1-43:27 | PS 119:1-16 | Prov 28:6-7 | James 5:1-20
None of us have the right to complain. It's not a game in which we compare our lives to others and figure out who has it better in our estimation. There will always be those who are richer, have better jobs, have better health, perhaps have better skills in a particular area, etc. Falling on the short side of issues should not lead to complaining. We all get tired, we all should work hard, we all get shifts or schedules which seem unfair. Recently, after years of stability at my practice, we found ourselves down two physicians in the call schedule. These changes occurred over a period of less than 1 month. Suddenly, at the age of 62, my average work week has risen to 100 hours per week, with some weeks going over 120. Does this give me the right to grumble and complain? No! God has blessed my practice for years, and for whatever reason He has brought about these changes, this is simply the situation that He has now given me and us. To complain would be telling God, "No, thank you". So I watch and wait for His leading. But each day He gives us the chance to pass blessings onto others, and defuse those who might seem frustrated around us. We either add fuel to the fire or pour on water to extinguish that fire. Events are events, but our attitude is a matter of choice, and considering all which God gives us, none of which we deserve or have earned, shouldn't our response always be, "Thank you".
We are taught that patience in circumstances is always the correct attitude, as we read in James 4:7-8, "Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." The Bible is full of those who were asked by God to persevere through situations, and were blessed, not complaining, as we read in 5:9-11, "Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful." Some call the book of Numbers, the book of grumbling and complaining. Though God supernaturally provided for them, that their forty year journey through the wilderness was a result of their own actions due to unbelief, that did not stop them from grumbling every step of the way.
We need to honestly assess ourselves and our attitudes. Our beds and pillows are far more comfortable than our ancestors. We have electricity, running hot water, flushable toilets, heat and air conditioning for our homes. We don't have to grow or hunt for our food, we simply and conveniently go to a local store and either buy it or have it made for us. We don't have to make our own clothes, or wash the few that we have by hand. We don't walk countless miles, but get in vehicles and fly by air. We have medications, not formally readily available, which take care of most minor and major discomforts. Most everyone in this world is offered education. Consider 400 years ago, when the Pilgrims landed in our nation. Half their original population died due to disease or winter conditions. They were down to kernels of corn per day for food rations. Yet they celebrated the first Thanksgiving. God has so richly provided for us, and the attitude more commonly seems to be what have You done lately, or it isn't enough, or I want more. His blessings are present through all of our circumstances, it's time that we put on a new set of lenses and see Him and thank Him, for everything, and I mean everything. This should be our attitude each and every day.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: