Staying Out of The Grumble Zone

Staying Out of The Grumble Zone

James 5:9

Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged.   The Judge is standing at the door!

Grumbling is the favorite sport of some church going folks (I dare not call them Christians.) They are never pleased about the colors of the walls, the way the money is being spent, or with the food on Wednesday night.  They disagree with the sermon, don’t like the Sunday School literature, and decide God can only be found in hymns written 50 years ago.  Sometimes they attack others as if they were enemies, not members of the Family of God.

In my walk, I struggle against grumbling.  Being discontent with others does nothing to gain their friendship or to further their growth in the Christian faith.  I must learn to overcome my own dislikes with positive interpretations of what others are doing.  I must practice forgiveness until I respond in positive ways to everyone.  It is very easy to find the wrong in others and it is very hard to look over insults and dislikes. However, as I look beyond my momentary frustrations, I can find the goodness that is in others, and together we can work toward experiencing the love of Christ.

Dear Lord, show me ways to not be grumpy and to refrain from thinking ill of others.  Help me to be on the lookout for the good part of even the worst of times and situations.  Show me the upside of life and help me to avoid the temptation to be discontented with temporary circumstances.  Let my eyes stay fixed on the blessings of your kingdom of goodness.

I must learn to avoid grumbling and to replace those thoughts and words with the joy of experiencing your grace in the midst of all things.

Blessings,

Ron

[Ron Lowery is the Senior Pastor of City Road Chapel, UMC, among other things. His Good Friday Thoughts is a weekly feature on this blog. Please visit us again or subscribe through the RSS feed to be sure you do not miss this devotional.]

Should you wish to join us, City Road Chapel, UMC is located in Madison, TN, in the northern section of Nashville, within easy distance of Opryland (see map.) Most Sundays we have a small, early church service at 8:00a.m., Sunday School at 8:45, and another, larger  worship at 10:00.  We have Sunday bus service to pick up those who cannot make it themselves. (Call 615-868-1673 for inquiries.) All are welcome. We will try to post any changes in worship time due to special events here or on the official site.  (Map) If you wish to find out more about us, visit our official Website.