<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Philippians 2;14&amp;15b<div><br></div><div><b>14. &nbsp;Do all things without grumbling or questioning,</b></div><div><b>15. &nbsp;that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,&nbsp;</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The temptation to <i>“grumbling and complaining” </i>is proof that the old-Adam is still resident within us and he is still able to deceive us. &nbsp;We do not consider that <i>“grumbling and complaining” </i>are great wickedness. &nbsp;Instead, we consider it our ‘right,’ and further, we are deceived into thinking such behavior does no harm. &nbsp;How wrong we are.</div><div><br></div><div>We grumble and complain because:</div><div><br></div><div>‘others do not appreciate what we do for them,’&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>‘we seem to be saddled with&nbsp;all the load,’&nbsp;</div><div>‘we really&nbsp;are sick and tired, and&nbsp;no one seems to care,’ &nbsp;</div><div>‘others who have more leisure and treasure do so little with it,’&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>‘no one listens to&nbsp;our opinions, warnings, and admonitions<span>&nbsp;or asks for our advice,’&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>‘the same exhausted few are the only ones who volunteer,’&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>‘others find fault and criticize but do nothing themselves,’&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>‘others are full of good ideas which someone else&nbsp;in&nbsp;the church should do,’&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>‘others are noticed and applauded but we get overlooked,’</span></div><div><span>‘the same&nbsp;ones&nbsp;always control everything.’</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>When we <i>“grumble and complain” </i>we are insulting God. &nbsp;We are telling him that&nbsp;he is unjust and unfair.<i></i></span></div><div><span>We fail to understand that to&nbsp;serve&nbsp;others sacrificially is great honor in itself, we are&nbsp;walking and suffering with Christ himself. &nbsp;We are forfeiting the&nbsp;greatness our Lord is offering us. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. &nbsp;It shall not be so with you; but&nbsp;whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”</i></span></div><div><span>(Matthew 20;25-28)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Most dangerous of all, those who grumble and complain&nbsp;are putting&nbsp;themselves in the place of God, judging others&nbsp;and pridefully compare themselves to others.</span></div><div><span>Grumbling and complaining poisons our hearts and blinds us to Christ beside us and within us.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, forgive us we pray for our&nbsp;grumbling&nbsp;and complaining. &nbsp;Bless us by faith to obey your command to,&nbsp;<i>“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in <u>every</u>&nbsp;circumstance;&nbsp;for this <u>is</u>&nbsp;the will of God <u>in Christ Jesus</u>&nbsp;for you.” &nbsp;(</i>1Thessalonians 5;16-18)</span></div><div><span>Deliver us from ‘keeping score,’ bless us to keep our eyes only on Jesus, the greatest slave,&nbsp;and first of all.</span></div><div><span>In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Philippians 2;14&15b
14.  Do all things without grumbling or questioning,15.  that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, 
The temptation to “grumbling and complaining” is proof that the old-Adam is still resident within us and he is still able to deceive us.  We do not consider that “grumbling and complaining” are great wickedness.  Instead, we consider it our ‘right,’ and further, we are deceived into thinking such behavior does no harm.  How wrong we are.
We grumble and complain because:
‘others do not appreciate what we do for them,’  ‘we seem to be saddled with all the load,’ ‘we really are sick and tired, and no one seems to care,’  ‘others who have more leisure and treasure do so little with it,’  ‘no one listens to our opinions, warnings, and admonitions or asks for our advice,’ ‘the same exhausted few are the only ones who volunteer,’ ‘others find fault and criticize but do nothing themselves,’ ‘others are full of good ideas which someone else in the church should do,’ ‘others are noticed and applauded but we get overlooked,’‘the same ones always control everything.’
When we “grumble and complain” we are insulting God.  We are telling him that he is unjust and unfair.We fail to understand that to serve others sacrificially is great honor in itself, we are walking and suffering with Christ himself.  We are forfeiting the greatness our Lord is offering us.   
“But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so with you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”(Matthew 20;25-28)
Most dangerous of all, those who grumble and complain are putting themselves in the place of God, judging others and pridefully compare themselves to others.Grumbling and complaining poisons our hearts and blinds us to Christ beside us and within us.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, forgive us we pray for our grumbling and complaining.  Bless us by faith to obey your command to, “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in every circumstance; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  (1Thessalonians 5;16-18)Deliver us from ‘keeping score,’ bless us to keep our eyes only on Jesus, the greatest slave, and first of all.In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”


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