Philippians 2:14-16 ESV
“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, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”
Grumbling and Disputing
So, we are to do all things without grumbling (murmuring,
muttering, and complaining against God) or disputing (back-and-forth reasoning
that is self-based, centered in the rights of self). The context appears to be
primarily with regard to our obedience to the Lord. We should not murmur
against God and against his directives for our lives. We should not dispute
with God with regard to his commands and to his instructions to us.
This is not saying that we should never protest or object to
or be upset with false teaching, with lies, and with liars, or with deliberate
and habitual sin permeating the church and causing the moral and spiritual
downfall of the church. For the Scriptures teach that we are to expose the
fruitless deeds of darkness, and that we are to speak out against sin and false
teaching, and that we are to warn of the consequences of unrepentant sin.
We should also not murmur against the Lord nor should we dispute
with him over our circumstances, accusing him of wronging us, or complaining
that he is not doing right by us when things go bad, which they sometimes will.
For God never promised us “smooth sailing.” He promised us persecution, false
accusations, false arrests and imprisonments, people hating and rejecting us, and
even our family members or our fellow Christians turning against us.
So, instead of murmuring against and disputing with the Lord
because we don’t like our circumstances or how we are treated, we should bring
these things to the Lord in prayer, in humility before him, in tears, where
tears will flow, cry them out to him, and let him teach us what we need to
learn through them, which one thing is that God is sovereign over our lives and
so nothing touches us but what God allows it for a purpose.
So, instead of griping and complaining, we need to see what
the Lord wants to teach us through our difficulties, and then submit to him and
to his will, and willingly accept his sovereignty over our lives, no matter
what comes. We must acknowledge and accept that God is in control over all
things and that he knows what we need, and that even discipline is for our
good, which involves pain, but it is for our maturity in our walks of faith in
Christ.
And one more thing on this subject is that we all have to
guard against complaining about the little stuff. I know I have to guard
against this stuff. It is the little stuff that I have to watch. The big stuff,
well it kind of smacks us in the face and we can’t miss it, so we consciously
are more aware of it and of our responses. But it is those little things, like our
food not being exactly to our liking. Those are the kinds of things I have to
watch my attitude on.
Blameless and Innocent
This is not saying that we will be absolutely sinless and
perfect, although lack of perfection is certainly not a viable excuse for
deliberate and habitual sin against God and against other humans. But if we do
all things without grumbling against and disputing with God, we will be
blameless and innocent of opposing the Lord and of fighting against him, and we
will be those who are submitting to him and who are walking in obedience to
him.
We will also be those who are not blemished by sinful
rebellion and by disobedience, but we will be those who shine as lights,
representing Jesus Christ and his righteousness and holiness, in the midst of a
crooked and twisted generation, in which we are presently in the midst. And
this is not saying that those of us who shine as lights are absolutely perfect
people, but it should mean that we are not deliberately and habitually living
in sin.
For we can’t live in sin and walk in righteousness at the
same time. We can’t shine as lights in a crooked generation if we are still
walking in darkness. We need to be walking in the light as God is in the light
if we are going to be able to shine as lights in the midst of this present
crooked and twisted generation. And we need to be walking in obedience to our
Lord and living upright, godly, morally pure, honest and trustworthy lives.
And we need to hold fast the word of life, and this has to
do with us believing the Scriptures and what they teach us who are in Christ,
by faith in him, and then we need to be doing what the Scriptures teach
Christians they must do. And we need to be having the mindset of Christ and not
of the flesh, and desire our Lord to do his will, and then we can share with
others how they can walk in obedience to the Lord Jesus, too.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn
15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1
Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Gal
5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal
6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb
10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac
26:18; Rev 18:1-6; Rev 21:8,27;
Rev 22:14-15]
You
are Loving and Forgiving
An
Original Work / February 19, 2012
Based
off Psalm 86
You are loving and forgiving,
Jesus, Savior, King of kings.
You provided our redemption.
By Your blood You set us free.
You are gracious; full of mercy.
No deeds can compare with Yours.
Great are You; there is none like You.
Glory be to Your name.
Teach me Your way, and I’ll walk in it.
O Lord, I will walk in Your truth.
May I not have a heart divided,
That Your name I give honor to.
I will praise You, O Lord, my Savior,
For great is Your love toward me.
You have delivered me from my sins.
Your grace has pardoned me.
You, O Lord, are full of compassion,
Slow to anger, bounteous in love;
Faithful to fulfill all You promise;
Glory be to Your name above.
Hear, O Lord, and answer Your servant.
You are my God. I trust in You.
Turn to me and grant Your strength to me.
You are my comforter.
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