Doing All Things Without Murmurings and Disputings

(Philippians 2:14-15) "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."  We live in a world today that's very discontent.  If you were to interview the average person on the street you would find out that they are very dissatisfied and discontented with life in general.  They don't like their job nor how much money they have in the bank.  They don't like the house they live in nor the neighbors who live beside them.  They don't like their own appearance or the clothes they wear.  At home they don't like how their spouse prepares the food or they don't like certain things about their children.  If they attend church they don't like the church in which they attend.  They don't like the pastor, the music, the activities in the church, etc.  Everywhere you go in society, you'll find someone that's unhappy.  People are not happy in this sad hour in which we live.  It's always evident about how much people complain all the time.  In the average workplace today you'll hear workers complaining about this and that.  They'll complain about their home situation or complain about their supervisor or complain they've been overlooked for a particular job promotion.  You'll always hear some type of complaints being voiced in the average workplace.  In all the years I've worked a public job I don't know too many days in which I haven't heard someone complain about the job conditions or about events outside of work.  There aren't too many people content.  It's always about something. 

What's tragic about much of what I said is you find church members that way in many of your average churches.  Even in the fundamental churches that claim to believe strongly that the Bible is God's Holy Word you find members always complaining about something.  Philippians tells us we should do all things without murmurings and disputings.  I started to title this post, "Doing all things with a cheerful attitude."  How many people you find in the House of God that's content with what they've been given?  The pastor will give somebody a position in the church and they'll murmur and complain.  They're dissastified with the task they've been asked to fulfill.  Parents that raise children many times witness their children murmuring because they don't like what their mother and father told them to do.  They don't want to obey mother and father's orders.  As a result children will murmur and even argue with their parents.  That happens a lot with many adults.  That's where children learn to murmur and complain.  They learn it from mother and father.  In churches today the pastor will tell the church he believes God wants that assembly to head in a certain direction.  Many times the church members will murmur to themselves, other church members, or argue with the man of God because they don't think this can be or should be done.  They will make statements that it's too costly or why do we need to do this?  They will criticize and go against God's man for saying which direction he believes God wants the pastor to lead the church.  You wonder why so many churches are dead and don't have any life to them.  The church members wouldn't follow God's man.  Instead of just following the direction God's man desires the church to go, they engage in murmuring and disputing.

Wouldn't it be great if we would just learn to follow the man of God as he follows Christ?  Wouldn't it be great when we're given a position to fulfill or a particular job that we would just perform that job with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10).  Wouldn't it be great we would just cheerfully do what we're asked instead of debating or arguing?  It's hard to find people like that in our Baptist Churches today.  It's hard to find dedicated and faithful church members.  People today want to murmur, argue, and kick against the pricks.  The problem is we don't want to submit our will.  That's where we struggle.  We want to control things.  There are some people who want to hold the position of "chief" but they don't desire to follow.  Hence, you've heard the expression, "too many chiefs and not enough Indians."  Another problem with some church members is they only desire to fulfill certain positions which puts them in the limelight.  Some people want to be seen in doing what they do.  Some people aren't willing to perform the "dirty" jobs as we call it.  They're not content to be responsible to take out the trash or clean the restrooms.  Regardless of the position or job, somebody needs to step in and do it, big or small. 

We need to learn to be followers.  We need to submit our will and serve the Lord.  A person that's submitted and satisfied in the Lord has no problem with doing what they're told to do.  They are thankful for the opportunity to serve.  They want to use their vessel to serve the Lord.  They want to be a blessing.  Those types of people will "do all things without murmurings and disputings."  When they're told something needs attention, they'll set out to complete what's needed.  They don't have have to murmur or complain.  They just do it.  It's bad when church members possess the same attitude as the world does.  It's not Christlike for God's people to be murmuring and complaining.  What kind of example do we set when we're always discontent and we whine about everything?  What does the world think about us when we murmur and complain?  It gives the impression to lost people that we're no different than they are.  It gives them the impression that "If that's how Christians behave, then I don't want any part of what they claim to have."  I guarantee you that's what many people in the world think.  We're a very spoiled generation and we don't have enough sense to be thankful.  What an indictment in this age of Christianity.  There are people who don't have much and are a lot more thankful than those of us who have more than what could use in a lifetime.  We've been given the privilege to serve.  God's saved us by his grace and our enternal destiny is in Heaven.  We need to serve the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind.  We have too much to be thankful for.