Why complaining is a sin…

 

When I complain about how busy I am, it contains a bit of boasting. My dad used to put down those ‘lazy people’ who didn’t work hard, so I grew up considering busyness was a virtue. But now, that to-do list is overwhelming and seems more like a curse than a blessing. 

But this morning, God rebukes me for the sin of complaining using the words of Stephen Charnock about the goodness of God and quotes from the Bible. The first is a reminder of where all good comes from: “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.’ ” (Psalm 16:2) Then he reminds me how easily God’s people fail to properly respond to that goodness:

Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. (Nehemiah 9:35)

When I became a Christian, one of the first principles the Lord taught me was this:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Yet all this week, I have complained about being overloaded with responsibilities, inundated with gifts that inadvertently added to my to-do list, and feeling like not getting out of bed because it was too much for my mind as well as my body and the hours in a day. 

Yet as Charnock points out, when God bestows anything upon His people, He sees it best they should have it. Now I am beginning to see how God is using these ‘bountiful blessings’ to show me how my response is not what He wants from me. 

First, all is from Him and because He is good, this is also for my good. The writer of Proverbs asked for “neither poverty nor riches” only what was “needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8–9) And I think the same about being busy; not idle and doing my own thing, or so busy that I forget His power to help, then try to do things without Him.

The good that is coming from this ‘far too busy’ stuff is that He is showing me a need for repentance. Complaining is not only useless but I am denying His goodness in how He governs my life. I need to trust Him and be thankful, not whine. I like this quote from Charnock:

If we are sick it is goodness, a disease and not hell; a cloud, and not total darkness. If he transfers from us what we have, he takes no more than what his goodness first imparted to us… he never takes so much from his people as his goodness leaves them. If he strips them of their lives, he leaves them their souls…  and removes them from those houses of clay to a richer mansion. The time of our sufferings here… bears not a moment to that endless eternity wherein he hath designed to manifest his goodness to us. The consideration of Divine goodness would teach us to draw a calm even from storms… 

Other verses shows me that this “goodness” of being overwhelmed has purpose to show me what is needed from me: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) and this passage:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created. And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! (Psalm 148:1–10)

PRAY: Since all creation praises You, what is my excuse for complaining? You are showing me that my complaints are a rejection of the good You give and the reality that You are able to grant me what is needed on my part. First, I confess and repent of my self-centeredness, then…

I Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform my vows to the Most High. (Psalm 50:14)

Then: I “commit my work to the Lord, and my plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3;9) You will bless this because You gave it for my good… and I thank You that You know what is best for me, even using it to bring repentance for my selfishness and complaining. Amen.

Why Pray?

One person describes prayer as a learning experience. He loved listening to an orchestra on the radio so he bought a violin with the intention of playing along with it. At first his ‘music’ was screechy and off key. However, with practice he was able to play in harmony with the music. He said prayer is like that; it is the way we learn the will of God. 

That said, some might argue why bother praying then, for the music will continue whether I pray for it or not. To me, this is missing the point. Prayer is conversation with the Lord and if I don’t pray, eventually I don’t hear the music. In other words, I do not sense what God is doing and may even not recognize that He is taking care of me. I become oblivious to His goodness.

A small example. In our new house there is a stairway with a midway landing. The wall on one side of it is high, but was a perfect place to hang a painting we own. No way could we put a ladder on the stair steps to do it and I did not pray for a solution. But God knew what to do. A window treatment sales person heard me wonder about that problem and said, “I am a fireman. I can do ladders and hang it for you.” And he did.

No doubt in my mind that was a God-thing. Just because I didn’t ask does not mean He ceased His music. However, because I do ask for many things, I know what He sounds like, at least for some things.

Piper thinks differently. He gives this example: Jesus promised with absolute certainty, that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). In other words, the great commission will be completed. There is no doubt. Yet Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) and to “pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers” (Matthew 9:38).

Piper says this means is that God appoints prayer as the means of finishing a mission that he has promised will certainly be finished. Therefore we pray, not because the outcome is uncertain, but because God has promised and cannot fail. Our prayers are the means God has appointed to do what he most certainly will do—finish the great commission and establish his kingdom. Then he says “Those who pray for the kingdom to come will receive the kingdom, but those who don’t love the kingdom and the appearing of the Lord probably will not bother themselves with this prayer. 

Piper goes on to Paul’s ominous words in 2 Timothy 4:8: ‘In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.’ And he says to love the appearing of the Lord (that is, not to pray passionately, ‘Thy kingdom come’) means that some will not receive the crown of righteousness.”

If he means those who are saved will be praying, then I agree. That is, if a person never talks to God, then they are not in a saving relationship with Him. If he means our salvation depends on passionate prayer, then I disagree. I cannot earn it or keep it by my efforts. The NT descriptions of how Christians should live should not be used as threats. God saves me apart from works, and God works in me to do His will.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

PRAY: Jesus, knowing You care about even the little details of life convinces me that the bigger ones are also under Your care. Your promises cover almost everything I pray about, often specifically and sometimes as a surprise for a need that I didn’t pray about. Your mercy and grace show me that even when I fail to pray, You are at work. My actions or inactions cannot nullify or limit Your will, nor are You a puppet and I hold the strings. That would be terrible. As Psalm 16:2 says, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Whether I am striking a triangle or playing a tuba, You are still the orchestra leader. 

Who is good?

 

I tease people who respond to “How are you?” with “I’m good” because good describes behavior. A better answer is “I am well.” Most chuckle and agree. Last week another person agreed when I added that Jesus said, “There is no one good but God.”

Today, I’m reading Charnock’s section on God’s goodness. Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?” Another question could have been, “What is good?” Charnock is just beginning to tell me and I am struck by two verses. The first says:

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” (Psalm 16:2)

How true. He, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the circumstances of life, continually shows me that I’ve no goodness without Him. Yet there is a question in my mind; what is goodness? The dictionary uses words like desired, approved of, morally right, yet the Bible speaks of the sovereign God as good, totally and completely, even though He seems at times to ignore evil, or not answer prayer for desired and morally right things. Does that mean that God has a different definition than Oxford?

Charnock offers thought-provoking ideas. To summarize, he writes that God is no less all-good than He is almighty and all-knowing... He is so good that there is no mixture of anything which can be called not good in him… Nothing can be so evil as God is good… He is only good, without capacity of increase; He is all good, and unmixedly good; none good but God: a goodness, like the sun, that has all light and no darkness… He is the supreme and chief goodness… He can no more act contrary to this goodness in any of His actions, than He can un-God himself. It is not necessary that God should create a world; He was at his own choice whether He would create or no; but when He resolves to make a world, it is necessary that He should make it good, because He is goodness itself, and cannot act against His own nature.

Try to imagine what creation would look like if God were not good. The world would be filled with only  murderous, ravenous, injurious creatures, a bedlam and heap of confusion totally inconsistent to Divine goodness and wisdom. Not only that, any lack of goodness would ruin the possibility of Him being beneficial to His creatures, not that we would merit it, but would not have any hope to receive His grace and mercy or any other beneficial goodness. 

I would have no reason to acknowledge or praise Him if He created me to be a miserable, person even if I was innocent in action. There would be no provision for my needs, only the expectation that such a God could annihilate me and take away my life and any desires I might have.

Charnock’s logic is overwhelming (and much more developed than most who write about God). He offers Scripture as his source and this verse, while it does not define ‘good’ it does tell me what God wants my heart to say: “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” (Psalm 119:68) I don’t always see the goodness or understand how He can use ‘all things for my good’ but do know that I’m not good like God is good, and need Him to teach me. 

PRAY: You are often a mystery. The desires of my heart can seem good, yet when You have other ideas that are contrary to what seems good to me, Your Word challenges my ideas of good. This is a trust-test and reminds me of You asking Abraham to sacrifice his son. A good idea? Not in my mind, but the man obeyed and You bailed him out. My faith in Your goodness is being tested in several fronts. What can I say? I have no goodness AND no faith without You.