Articles
Contentment Self Check
The easiest way to quickly assess if we are content with something is to observe if we complain. We see the repeated sin of discontentment and com-plaining throughout the Scriptures. God clearly outlines His displeasure in our dissatisfaction with His blessings upon us and people He has put in place. In our children’s classes this week they are studying Numbers 12 about the incident with Aaron and Miriam complaining against their brother Mo-ses after he gets married. God chose Moses, Aaron, and Miriam for special roles. Aaron and Miriam felt they were not being treated as special as Moses and showed their discontentment by complaining, their jealousy came through and their tongues fig-uratively lit a fire. On the surface it seemed like a little grumbling.
Number 12:2 “So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.”
It’s not like they were cursing him or planning his murder, not that level of complaining. This was perhaps a little under their breath comment to each other that could have been made in a sentence or two. God heard it, God reacted, and He literally called them out. Miriam is stricken with Leprosy and the entirety of the camp of Israel is stopped on their journey. The humblest Moses intervenes in prayer to God, asking God to heal Miriam, which He does. Message sent; message received?
How many times have we leaned over and made a comment under our breath to our spouse or even proclaimed a complaint in the car on the ride home after worship against those who God has chosen to evangelize, lead His church or about another saint? Are we guilty of not fully appreciating and content with the roles that God has chosen us for, like Aaron and Miriam? God hears.
In the tenth chapter of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses the example of the Israelites to remind and warn us.
“10 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that fol-lowed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor com-plain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroy-er. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (vs. 1-12)
Paul seems to be answering those who were complaining against him which he gave a sound defense of in Chapter 9. Notice verse 10, “nor complain” and notice the company that complaining keeps in the list of wrongs supplied here, lusting after evil things, idolatry, sexual immorality and tempting Christ. Notice that destruction is the result of complaining. I am solidly convinced that on that great day of judgment there will be many who will not make it into Heaven because of their complaining, how sad that will be! It should be clear to us that complaining is shown here alongside a list of things that we would clearly call sin so that we would know that God classifies complaining as sinful.
Thankfully we do not have to carry a load on our own without help. There are complaint worthy things that often happen to us. What do we do with those things?
Psalm 102:1-2
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to You. 2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
Ps. 142:2— pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble.
I venture to say that if we run our complaints through the filter of needing to bring them to God, that our complaint list would be vastly diminished. Would we go to God with complaints about sermon length, decisions of the elders, temper-ature of the building, how someone planned an event, etc.? I hope not, assum-ing sin isn’t involved.
In His great wisdom, God also gives us simple directions for dealing with others that we have an issue with, Matt 18:15-17. God says, go to that person privately and directly. The qualifier there is “if your brother sins against you”. It should be revealing to us that there is no allowance made for mild annoyance or someone not meeting up with our personally applied standards.
Let’s close with this encouragement from God found in Philippians 2:12-16:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Here we find what is perhaps one of the lesser known “all things” statements made in Scripture. We really can do all things without complaining and dis-puting!.
