“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure….” (v. 14-15)
Can you imaging a world without complaining or arguing? Or how about even a single day? Like watching any news channel and everywhere you turned there was not complaining or arguing. Wow. Wouldn’t that be amazing! Much of our conversation and life is centered around complaining and arguing–complaining about the weather, arguing about politics, complaining about work, and arguing with each other.
For a moment though I saw something beyond it being annoying an destructive. When we actually engage in complaining and arguing, it causes to subject to blame and defiled. And those who turn away from arguing and complaining, become more blameless and pure in Christ.
There’s such a start contrast from the world and the righteous who don’t engage in complaining or arguing that it is one of the reasons we are actually compared to “stars in the universe” (v. 15).
Now if you are anything like me than you feel if this is how we shine like stars, then our light bulb in our star has burnt out. I hate complaining and arguing and yet I find myself there every day.
But instead of feeling the burden of a law I can’t seem to fulfill, it’s more of an issue of grace with an invitation to a challenge. To live different. And I think it’s not so much about disciplining ourselves to stop complaining, as it is to focus our hearts and minds on all the amazing things we have and what God has done. Not seeing what we don’t have but seeing what we do. No seeing where others are right but where God is in control.
It’s training, I believe and I’m most certainly not out of kindergarten yet. But I want to see differently. I want to be grateful. And I want to live in joy. And maybe sometime I’ll get to Grade 1 or even Grade 2. And with each step, I know that through Christ it will help me become even more blameless and pure. And that’s a great place to be.
