November Rain

Grumbling and Complaining?

We Are Far Too Easily Displeased

by Jon Bloom | November 15, 2013

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. (Philippians 2:14–15)

I am a grumbler by (fallen) nature.

Just this morning a malfunctioning software program required my attention. Experience told me the likely course: at least two times on the phone with customer support and at least two glitches in the fixing process. Forty-five minutes minimum. Probably more. (All proved true, by the way.) Immediately I resented this time-stealing inconvenience. And when my wife called in the middle of dealing with it, out of my mouth came my displeasure.

Life problems don’t get much smaller. What is the matter with me?

The matter is that I too easily listen to the lies of my pathologically selfish sin nature, which assumes all of reality should serve its preferences and grumbles against anything that doesn’t. The truth is, when I grumble, I have lost touch with reality.

What Grumbling Gauges

Grumbling is a gauge of the human soul. It gauges our gaze on grace. It tells us that we’re not seeing grace.

Grumbling pours out of our soul whenever we feel like we’re not getting what we deserve. Sometimes we’re even crass enough to think, to hell with what we deserve, we’re not getting what we want.

Grumbling is a symptom of a myopic soul. Selfishness has caused tunnel vision and has fixated on a craving(s). The soul has lost sight of the glory and wonder and splendor and hope that is the reborn, redeemed life and thus it is far too easily displeased. Grumbling is evidence of soul-vision impairment.

What Gratitude Gauges

The opposite of grumbling in the soul is gratitude. And gratitude also gauges our gaze on grace. It tells us that we are seeing grace.

Gratitude pours out of our souls whenever we we’re receiving a gift we know we don’t deserve and we experience a humble happiness. And as sinners who have received the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24), we are receiving these gifts all the time.

Gratitude is a symptom of a healthy, expansive soul. The gospel of grace has given it panoramic vision, allowing it to see that this grace will be sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) to meet every need (Philippians 4:19) when inconvenience, crisis, weakness, affliction, unexpected demand, suffering, and persecution hit. In fact, in all these things this grace will make us “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Accents of Heaven and Hell

Gratitude is the accent of the language of heaven because there everything is undeserved grace. No creature that basks in the eternal, deep, powerful, satisfying, overflowing joys of heaven will have merited being there. Each will be there solely by the grace of God, which is why we will all sing,

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! (Revelation 5:13)

But grumbling is the accent of hell’s language because it’s how a creature’s pride responds to the Creator’s decision to do or allow something that the creature does not desire. Grumbling scorns God because it elevates our desires and judgments above his.

That’s why the world is so filled with grumbling. It’s ruled by the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) and its citizens speak the official language.

Do All Things Without Grumbling

And that’s why Paul tells us to “do all things without grumbling” (Philippians 2:14). The children of God should not speak with the accent of hell.

Rather, our speech should always be gracious (Colossians 4:6); it should have the accent of heaven. Those who have been forgiven so much (Luke 7:47) and promised so much (2 Peter 1:4) should speak words that are always salted with gratitude (Ephesians 5:20). That’s one way we “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). Gospel gratitude is a foreign language here. We are citizens of a better country (Hebrews 11:16).

Doing all things without grumbling is humanly impossible. But thankfully not with God (Mark 10:27). What it requires is getting our eyes off ourselves and onto Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and all God promises to be for us in him. It requires seeing grace. Being different comes fromseeing differently.

Here’s the Bible logic that provides the escape from the temptation to grumble (1 Corinthians 10:13): “all things work together for [my] good” (Romans 8:28), and “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), so therefore I can “do all thingswithout grumbling” (Philippians 2:14).

Yes it is hard. It’s a fight. God told us it would be that way (1 Timothy 6:12). But we will grow in the gracious habit of cultivating gratitude through the rigorous exercise of constant practice (Hebrews 5:14) of seeing grace.

Lord, help us speak more in the accent of heaven!

Prone to grumbling, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to scorn the God I love;
Here’s my eye, O take and peel it
Till I see the grace above.

Then “the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart [will] be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

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Recent posts from Jon Bloom:

• God Desires You Far More Than You Desire Him
• Five Ways to Refresh the Saints in Your Life
• Lay Aside the Weight of Discontentment

Jon Bloom (@Bloom_Jon) is the author of Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith and serves as the President of Desiring God, which he and John Piper launched together in 1994. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, Pam, their five children, and one naughty dog.

Pic of the Day: A TreeHouse

The HemLoft Treehouse (Whistler, Canada)

For more, check here.

Monday Quote

Faith endures as seeing Him who is invisible; endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heart-aches of life, by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind.-A.W.Pink

My Favorite List—Movies

Top ten movies that I love to watch again and again:

1. Little Women
2. Dark Knight
3. LOTR (1,2,3)
4. While You were Sleeping
5. A Few Good Men
6. Iron Man (1,2,3)
7. Dil Chahta Hai
8. The Wedding Planner
9. Harry Potter Series
10. Avengers

 What about yours?

Waiting

I have always wondered why waiting is such a tiring experience. Is it because waiting slows down things? Or is it my perception that waiting causes a delay for whatever I am waiting for? Sometimes, this impatience that grows within me is a result of the world I live in. You can get everything—practically everything in a jiffy. Click the mouse and you have paid the bills! We live in a world of instant gratification. We don’t have the time to wait…patiently.

In the light of hurried living and busyness, I am glad in a way that God calls me to wait. To wait upon Him for the things I have asked in prayer. It is in this period of waiting I am called to exercise faith in who God is and His ability to bring about what I have asked for. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

God knows what He is about. It is my own foolishness or the result of leaning on my own understanding that I tend to become impatient. He is wise and does all things according to the counsel of His will. I am called to trust Him and His timing.

Waiting requires courage and strength of soul. Hence the psalmist in the Bible encourages us “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalms 27:14)

So, if you are in the period of waiting upon God, take heart. God is good and loves you and desires that you know Him better in this time of stillness. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Thankful

Just want to thank God for all His blessings.

• Christ, His word, and His promises
• Life, laughter, and love
• Family, friends, and food
• Work, weather, and workouts

NH7 Weekender—One Fine Day

As mentioned in my earlier post, my sister and I were supposed to attend all the 3 days of the music fest called NH7 Weekender. The tickets had arrived a while back and I couldn't wait to be a part of this experience. Little did I expect to fall ill.

Right before the fest, I came down with the flu. Now that’s what I call perfect timing. To be honest, I was miffed and quite disappointed. Maybe I thought, a little bit of rest should do it. Nothing. I was getting worse.

So, I missed the first day of NH7. I was too sick to miss the excitement. I managed to get the meds from my family doctor hoping to at least make it for the second day. Thankfully, the next day I was feeling a bit better and off I went to the fest. My sister and her colleague were with me so it was fun.

We mainly stuck to Dewarist stage and boy, it was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Raghu Dixit Project’. I am not into folk rock, but it was good. I was too tired to stand in front of the band, so I just sat on the lawn and enjoyed the music.

And yes, I got to attend just one day against the three days that I hoped for. I guess, some things just don’t go as planned. And I made my peace with that and cherished the time God graciously gave despite my health.

One of Those Days

Every once in a while I experience one of those days.

It happens when you least expect it or least want it, but it’s there.
One of those days...unexpected things, missed lunches, exhaustion....

Last Friday, our company celebrated Diwali. I was excited and looked forward to that day. What better way to end the week?

But on Thursday, I got a call from my senior saying that she would not be in office which meant I would be the one reviewing the completed task for one of the projects we were working on. Oh no! Am I heading for one of those days?

Yes, sure enough. Friday arrived and even as I tried to enjoy, I ended up running around and keeping tabs on the status of the project I was involved in. I barely managed to say hi to my colleagues at work, missed my lunch, and my feet were hurting from the constant running around.

By the time, I finished my task; the Diwali program was almost done. Yeah, rite! I managed to see the prize distribution.

When I got back home, I was exhausted and hungry. (Didn’t have lunch, remember?)
Whew! Some day huh? Yes, it was one of those days!

Take Your Pick

Some interesting sites or articles you may want to check out!

Coffee and Timing: When is the best time to drink coffee?

Don't Lose Your Cool: It's not wise to lose your temper. God's word says so.

Reading More: Good tips on reading more.

Autumn: Wow pictures to check out!

Pic of the day!

Early morning sunshine lights autumn leaves on Oct. 24, in London, England. Fine weather is expected in parts of the United Kingdom on Oct. 24. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Lay Aside the Weight of Discontentment

by Jon Bloom | November 1, 2013

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11–13)

In the race of faith, it is crucial to remember that our contentment is not determined by our circumstances. We often want to blame circumstances for our discontent, but that’s barking up the wrong tree.

Contentment is determined by what we believe. And our belief is fueled by what we’re seeing. So if you need to lay aside the weight (Hebrews 12:1) of discontentment today—the sinful kind that stems from disappointment and leads to grumbling—begin by looking at what you’re looking at.

Contentment Comes by Seeing the Treasure

When Paul wrote the words above, he was in prison (again). Prisons were nasty places in Paul’s day and he knew he could potentially die. The death he contemplated would not be pleasant. That’s why he wrote,

…it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:20)

How could Paul sit in prison, suffering regularly from hunger and exposure, knowing he might be killed, and say, “in whatever situation I am… content”? Because he saw the Prize:

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

Jesus was a treasure to Paul. What Paul saw in Jesus was what the man in Jesus’s parable saw in the field:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44)

Fifteen minutes before the man saw the treasure, would he have been content to sell everything and buy the field? No way. Fifteen minutes after he saw it he was off to the auctioneer. What was the difference? He saw the treasure.

The secret to contentment in “whatever situation” is seeing the Treasure that trumps them all.

Three Steps to Get Your Eyes on the Prize

Sinful discontentment is a weight to lay aside. But you can also think of it as a gauge in your heart that tells you when your spiritual eyes have strayed from the real Prize. When it shows up, stop what you’re doing, look at what you’re looking at, and redirect your mind to the real Treasure.

1. Stop

When you recognize discontentment, the first thing to do is stop what you’re doing. Stop grumbling and complaining. Stop sulking or stomping around the house. Stop the critical tongue toward others that often comes from the abundance of a discontented heart. Stop looking at the covetousness-producing catalogs, Tweets and Facebook pages. Stop and…

2. Look

Look at what you’re looking at. You’re discontent because you perceive an obstacle between you and your prize. Name the prize you want. It’s probably not Jesus since Romans 8:38–39 tells us that nothing can separate us from him.

3. Think

Getting our spiritual eyes back on the right prize only comes by thinking. What we ponder is what we perceive. We’re discontent because we’ve been meditating on the wrong things and become weighed down with lead-like frustration. It’s time to pick up the easy yoke (Matthew 11:30) of delight in Jesus by doing what Paul instructed the Philippians to do:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Don’t let discontentment govern you today. Lay aside this heavy weight by fixing your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), whose surpassing worth, when you see it, makes the worst circumstances this world can throw at you nothing but rubbish.

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Recent posts from Jon Bloom:

• What to Neglect to Have a Rich Life
• How to Humbly Give and Receive Correction
• God’s Bright Design for Your Bitter Providences

Topic: Killing Sin  

Jon Bloom (@Bloom_Jon) is the author of Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith and serves as the President of Desiring God, which he and John Piper launched together in 1994. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, Pam, their five children, and one naughty dog.

Downton Abbey

I came across this name a couple of times while checking blogs online. So I kept wondering, ‘What in the world is Downton Abbey? For starters, it’s a British period drama television series that was first aired in the year in 2010. It closely follows the lives of an aristocratic family called the Crawleys along with their dozen servants.

For some reason I was quite reluctant to watch these series. Who in the world wants to get entangled with the lives and happenings of the aristocrats? But entangled I did and now I am so much a part of their lives. It’s fun to watch the way things were in the last century and how people in that era responded to the rapid changes that took place.

It also makes me appreciate the things that I often I take for granted in my own life, like freedom, no class system, modern technology and so much more. But there are times when I wish I was born in that era. If only wishes were horses....