In a given day or week, how many times do you have a gripe or complaint concerning something that you do not like? I'm sure many of us, if we took the time to notice, would see that we spend (waste!) much of our lives expressing our dissatisfaction with our lot whatever that may be. Most people would not recognize this as less than desirable in the eyes of God. We think that we have a right to complain if we are treated unfairly. Did Jesus complain while He was hanging there upon the cross at Calvary? No! Jesus had more dignity and respect for the Father than to behave in such a manner. Yes, He cried out in agony "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" However, never did our precious Savior allow one murmur to slip from His righteous lips. If He conducted Himself with such self-respect in the face of seemingly defeating cross, would you not think He would expect such of us?

We, as children of God, have an incredible role model to imitate our daily lives after in our Lord Jesus Christ. As He lived, so should we. God has told us to refrain from taking the attitude of complaining about our situations. Philippians 2:14: Do all things without murmurings and disputings. To murmur basically means “to complain in low mumbling tones.” According to God’s Word we are to “do all things,” regardless of how we perceive them, without complaining. Jesus instructed others not to have a complaining attitude. John 6:41-43: The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. The text goes beyond that, but we see that Jesus commanded the Jews not to murmur.

God has told us that if we do things willingly (hey, maybe even cheerfully) and without complaint that we will be blessed for doing so. Matthew 5:5: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. The Greek word for blessed is makavrioß, which has the meaning of “happy.” So what? Happy are the meek! What does “meek” mean? Prau>paqiva is the Greek term for meek and it means for us to have a disposition where we accept all of God’s dealings with us. So, we will have happiness if we just accept what the Lord has in store for us in spite of how terrible it may seem.

Why should we not rejoice and be happy when things are not going as we had hoped? We have so very much to look forward to. A Christian has all of eternity to look ahead to; endless life with our redeemer Jesus Christ; eternity with rejoicing evermore; a future void of death, pain, and suffering; a heavenly home. Christ has told us that we will be rewarded in heaven for the persecutions we face as Christians here on earth. Matthew 5:10-12: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. I think that this passage speaks volumes not only about rejoicing in the midst of persecution, but also about rejoicing when things simply are not in our favor. I believe the Lord will reward us when we face down potential problems with dignity rather than giving in and complaining.

The Lord’s desire and will for our lives is that we would live as He lived here on earth. He was perfect in every way and wants for us to live our lives solely for Him. Matthew 4:4: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. That should be enough to convince any Christian that they need to live according to God’s Word. Of course, this is by no means an easy task. Living according to God’s perfect will for us seems as an extremely taxing task, but He will be with us every step of the way, drawing us ever closer to Him.

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