Don't Grumble! Trust God!

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.”

 

We Will Have Trials

 

As some of you may have heard by now, we had some flooding in our apartment on Saturday. A water pipe froze and burst in the attic of our building on the third floor, which is the floor above us. And all of a sudden water from above was pouring into our apartment in various rooms within our apartment, and we were catching and dumping it out and mopping it up, as much as we could, as fast as we were able to do so. Most of the water damage is in our ceiling, but our washing machine is not operable.

 

I am very thankful to the Lord that we were home when this happened so that we were able to take immediate action, or the damage could have been much worse. Evidently 28 apartments here in our apartment complex suffered water damage as water pipes burst in multiple apartment buildings. And the apartment complex’s on-site laundry facility got totally gutted by water damage. We had family members pitch in and help us, too, so I am very grateful for that. Every little bit of help made a huge difference.

 

So, when this was my passage of Scripture for today, this is what came to mind. For no matter what we go through, whether big or small, we must always keep the right perspective. We must remind ourselves, if need be, that God is in control. God is still on the throne. He is Lord over all. He is completely and wholly sovereign over all that he has created, and nothing happens in our lives unless God allows it and that he allows it for a purpose and he has a plan for what he intends to come from it.

 

And I know that one of the reasons God allows such trials to come into our lives is to test our faith. So, when we go through such trials, whether big or small, what is our response going to be? Are we going to be those who grumble and complain and fight and argue? Or are we going to be at peace? Are we going to pray? And are we going to trust the Lord every step of the way, even if it gets worse and not better? Or are we going to get angry and grumpy? The choice is ours, but we need to make the right choice.

 

How We Respond

 

We have been through much worse. In 2016 we were living in an apartment complex that was infested with bed bugs, but we did not know that when we decided to live there. And so we ended up getting bed bugs, and they were in my hair crawling on me and biting me daily. And I broke out into extremely painful welts from their bites. I obviously had an allergic reaction to bed bug bites. And they are horrible to try to get rid of. But thank the Lord, we were able to get rid of them in a fairly short period of time.

 

Then, last year, in our present apartment, we had a mice infestation and I got very ill from the mice, almost to the point to where I thought I was going to die, based on my symptoms. And after a few months of that my right knee caved on me and I have permanent nerve damage now in my right leg and I have serious balance issues, too, so I have to use a walker now when I go out in public. So, trials do come and sometimes they leave lasting effects. But God has a purpose for them all.

 

So, we can choose to let our trials take us out, or we can choose to accept them as allowed by God for a purpose in our lives, and then let him teach us what he wants us to learn through them. For we are going to get them whether or not we respond to them in the right way, because we live on this earth and we live in flesh bodies, and life on this earth is going to have its ups and downs, for certain. So, it is best if we learn to rest in the Lord through every trial and let him have his way in our lives.

 

When we respond to our trials by trusting the Lord to work in and through them for his purposes and for his glory, and we don’t let them overtake us, we can be a witness for Jesus through our trials. We can shine as lights in this dark world, and we can hold fast to the word of life, and we can share Jesus and the peace of Christ with others. But if all we do is grumble and complain and fight and argue, we won’t make very good lights for Jesus, will we? So, trust the Lord always, no matter what life brings your way.

 

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12]

 

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

 

Words by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907

Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

 

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway.

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z11avpKNLsA

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