“Do everything without complaining
or arguing.”
– Philippians 2:14
The story is told of a little girl who wanted more than
anything to become a great pianist. Unfortunately, no matter how much she
practiced, the only tune she could play was “Chopsticks.” Her parents saved
their money and arranged to have a great maestro give her lessons. A few days
later they arrived at his mansion, and the maestro’s butler escorted them to
the parlor where the little girl sat down at the grand piano and started
playing her most enthusiastic rendition of “Chopsticks.” Her parents almost died
of embarrassment as the maestro walked into the room. But to their surprise, he
quietly sat down on the piano bench beside their daughter, placed his hands on
the piano keys and began adding chords, runs and arpeggios. In all their lives
the parents had never heard such a beautiful duet, and amazingly enough, the
central theme of the music was still “Chopsticks.”
The maestro reminds me a lot of Jesus. You see, God created
our lives to be harmonious duets. So, unless we allow our heavenly Maestro,
Jesus Christ, to place his masterful hands on our lives and shape us, our
character will never become more and more like his. He is the only true
Virtuoso who can make our lives sing. Without him, our lives will be an
embarrassing, monotonous tune of “Chopsticks.”
Speaking of monotony, there are few things in life more
monotonous than grumbling and arguing. In Philippians 2:14, God’s Word urges us
to “Do everything without complaining or
arguing.” Now, that’s a tall order! We live in a culture where, in the view
of many, complaining is as American as apple pie. We grumble and complain about
our boss. We grumble and complain about our kids. We grumble and complain about
our pastor. And we grumble and complain about our President. Whaaa! Whaaa!
Whaaa!
We can’t be growing Christians and, at the same time, live
lives marked by complaining. The
Greek word translated as “complaining” in Philippians 2:14 can also be
translated as murmuring or grumbling. Time and again in both the Old and New
Testaments we find evidence that God hates complaining. One of the clearest
examples of this reality is found in Numbers 14. As God was leading the
Israelites to the Promised Land of Canaan, they broke out in a chorus of
grumbling: “If only we had died in Egypt!
Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall
by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be
better for us to go back to Egypt? We should choose a leader and go back to
Egypt.”
God was infuriated by Israel’s complaining, and His
punishment was severe. Except for Joshua and Caleb, not a single adult
Israelite who was delivered from Egypt was allowed to enter the Promised Land
forty years later. Every single adult died in the desert. Only the younger
generation entered “the land flowing with milk and honey.” So, is complaining a
big deal to God? You bet it is! Especially when God is the target of our
complaints. When we murmur against God, it demonstrates an emotional rejection
of His good plan and provision for our lives. That being the case, complaining
can be an attack on God’s character. And that’s a serious offense for anyone,
especially for a Christian.
Similarly, we can’t be growing Christians and, at the same
time, live lives marked by arguing.
The Greek word translated as “arguing” in Philippians 2:14 can also be
translated as disputing or criticizing. Sadly, many Christians are known for
being argumentative and critical. Why is that? If we are commanded to love our
neighbors and consider their needs more important than our own, how can we
allow ourselves to become our neighbors’ greatest critics? When we criticize
our church, don’t we realize that we are indirectly criticizing the Lord who
spilled his blood for our church? And when we criticize our spouse and kids,
don’t we realize that we are indirectly criticizing the One who gave us our
families? Without a doubt, many of us criticize our Good Provider and malign
His character without even realizing it. That is unacceptable.
It is a sin of the mind and heart to level self-centered
criticism against God. When we criticize the Lord, we are implying that He is
not good or trustworthy, and we are proclaiming to a listening world that His
plans are flawed. Therefore, like complaining and grumbling, it is an attack on
God’s character. Once again, the people of Israel serve as an example of what not to do in this regard. They were
perpetual God-critics, and they paid dearly for their criticism.
So, if you choose to partner with God to transform your
character, that’s fantastic! But don’t sabotage your good efforts by making a
habit of complaining against or criticizing God or
people. Even when the hands of our Maestro are hard at work in our lives, the
music of our lives will be unpleasant if our mouths are seeping verbal sewage.
There’s no way around it. We can’t be growing Christians and at the same time
be grumblers and critics. Our community is chock-full of men and women who can
play “Chopsticks.” What we desperately need are Christians whose lives make
beautiful music with the Maestro.
Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of
First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,
visit www.fccvv.com and join us for
worship Sunday at 10 am.
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