Leave your complaints at the door/cross...

Ok, by a show of hands, in the last couple of months who has:

1. Had a bad day?

2. Been yelled at by their boss?

3. Stuck in a job they don't really like?

4. Been insulted and put down over something they didn't do?

5. Been beaten with a whip?

6. Spit on by random people?

7. Had to wear a crown of thorns?

8. Been crucified?

Where am I going with this you ask? Well our complaints seem so futile when we compare them to what Jesus had to go through. When Jesus was crucified, he not only took our sins and everlasting pain, he took our ability to complain, away. He went through life, knowing he was going to die for something he didn't do. He was never wrong to anyone, never did a horrible job in the workplace, he never passed the blame to someone else. He took it all. His compassion and love for us is why we are still here today.

Dictionary.com defines "Complain" as to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault.

The part of that definition that sticks out with me is "to find fault". By finding fault in a situation, we are saying that we have found a fault with God's plan.

The reason I say God's plan is that through faith, we believe that God's plan will always prevail even though others may not follow it, or want it to prevail.

The Merrian Webster Dictionary defines Faith as (2) : complete trust.

By having Complete trust in God, we believe that through all situations, nothing will stop God from continuing his plans for our lives, even through the hardest of times.

²¹ You can make many plans,but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Prov 19:21 (NLT)

This verse is simply stating that through our plans and tribulations, God's purpose will still come to fruition. That others can mess with our lives, with our job status, family situations and other little things, yet God's plan will always be the outcome.

Let's go to a boss reference. Not all people are Christian's, therefore we can't expect everyone to try and act in a fitting manner; we can't even really expect "Christian's" to act in a fitting manner. So if a boss yells at one of us over something that seemed trivial or unimportant, and then we go and complain on how he's not a good boss, his communication skills are lacking and yada yada yada. We are simple stating that God is not going to deliver us from this situation, whatever it may be. We are stating that there was a fault with this situation and that it is not part of God's plan.

Yet through faith we believe that God promises to deliver us from evil in every way possible.

⁹ “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you.¹⁰ You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest!¹¹ I will live among you, and I will not despise you.¹² I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.¹³ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.

Lev 26:9-13 (NLT)

For these people, God delivered them out of Egypt from slavery, something so big in comparison to our needs.

Even though the situation has already passed, God can still and always bring good from it. By complaining about the situation, we are stating that God's plans will not come through for us.

At the same time, when we complain, we are putting OUR needs at our highest priority, we are in fact, making our complaints a "Idol". We are saying that there is nothing more important at this moment than how I feel.

¹⁴ Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones¹⁵ to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” ¹⁶ These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want

Jude 1:14-16 (NLT)

Are our complaints so important, that we should put them before God? Are our worries and troubles above God's Powers? The answer is simply NO. God's plan and love for us is always going to be stronger and more important than any worldly complaint we have.

Then you guys ask, but cameron, if there is something going on in my life that I feel I should complain about, what should I do? And I'll ask you, what's the difference between a complaint, advice and a prayer request?

A complaint is stating that a situation has happened, there is nothing good that can come from it and it's over, there is nothing we can do about it. It is leaving NO room for spiritual intervention on God's behalf.

I feel that advice and a prayer request should go hand in hand. That the person we are asking advice from, should be asking God for guidance through the situation.

A prayer request is used to ask God for his will to prevail, at least it should. It should be formed in a way that is open to God's intervention. I know when I pray, I'll say, well here are my two options. When in reality there are sooo many options because I can only see what is in front of me. Instead of praying for the immediate situation. We should ask for guidance in how to pray for the situation. Instead of asking for an immediate answer, we should ask for wisdom in how to approach the situation.

¹⁴ Do everything without complaining and arguing,¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.¹⁶ Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.¹⁷ But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.¹⁸ Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

Phil 2:14-18 (NLT)

We look at life as if our worries and struggles are too big for God. How do we know he didn't set up a situation, so that we are able to learn from it? God's purpose will prevail no matter what. So next time, instead of complaining, I urge to rejoice in the fact that you have a God and savior that has laid out a plan that will prevail even through all of the troubles we go through. Do not be dismayed by life's little worries but know that God is always and will always be in control.

So let me ask some more questions

1. Who has a job in this horrible current economic status?

2. Who has a healthy family?

3. Who has a bed to sleep in, and a shower to clean up in every day?

4. Who has a savior that continues to love us, no matter what we do?

Jesus Loves you and so do I!

Thanks for reading,

Cameron