Without murmuring

Murmuring?  Grumbling?  Disputing?

Is this a post about my children?  Well, it could certainly be.  But it's not.  Yes, they do all of the above (which child doesn't????....and please don't tell me mine are the only ones who do!), but I am thinking more about myself.

I listened to a great sermon today, by one of my favourite Preachers... Pastor Al Martin.  You can listen to it here. He deals with the verse from Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without murmurings and disputings". I had given someone else a copy of this sermon - they had wanted some sermons for their ipod, so I volunteered to load them on for her.  I chose some from Philippians, rather at random, based on the fact that I am memorising the book of Philippians, so it was relevant to me at the moment.  (see my blog about my scripture memory here. ).

This was one I chose for her.  She told me it was great, and I had to confess that I had not actually listened to it myself! So, I promptly downloaded it today, knowing that we had a long car journey, with a perfect opportunity to listen to it.  (On a side note - I explained to the children that we would be deviating from our usual hymn's/songs/story CD's, as I wanted the chance to listen to a sermon without interruptions.  Daniel fell asleep whilst it was on, and when we got in the car to come home, later on, he said "are we listening to the "service"?".  I had to inform him we already had, and he missed it....he was thoroughly disappointed, which I thought was lovely! :-) )  Anyway, listen to it, we did.  What a great message!  It really got me thinking.

Don't we so easily grumble?  Yes WE.  Not the children.  Us - the adults. When we have to do those things in our home that we don't particularly enjoy, do we grumble?  We may grumble with our mouths - "oh, I really can't stand doing the ironing".

We may grumble in our hearts - where no-one else sees or hears...ah, but the One who counts above all others still sees and hears! "I wish my children didn't make so much mess for me....I wish my husband didn't leave his socks inside out".  Even little murmurings are still murmurings! We can murmur and complain by our attitude.  Procrastination can imply that we don't want to do something, ergo, we are murmuring about having to do it at all.

Apart from anything else, any murmuring from us is a bad example to our children.  If we can cheerfully (yes, cheerfully) do all that is within our realm of responsibility, then we are showing our children how they are to do what they have to do.  The verse that follows on tells us "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"  Lights in the world! How we behave gives us the opportunity to shine.  A characteristic of those who do not love the Lord, is one of bitter complaint and grumbling about their lot in life.  Forever trying to find a better life and new ways to satisfy.  Our satisfaction is in Christ.  In all that we have in Him - in all that He gives to us.  In His perfect and sovereign will FOR us.  Which includes EVERY thing that is given to us to bear in our life.  Every situation.  Every hardship.  Every joy.  Every responsibility.  Every providence whether cheerful or a trial.  To grumble questions the very providence of God.  Yes, even the little things, because everything is allowed in God's providence.

ALL things....without the murmuring.