Colossians 3:15
Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
It seems like everywhere I go these days, people are grumbling. As I bought groceries early one morning, I was greeted with a loud conversation between two stockers who were complaining about our government leaders and how bad they feel things are going in this country. Not once did they acknowledge how blessed they are to have a job. The “peace” of my early morning shopping trip was blasted by their agitated tirade … and they didn’t appear to be living peacefully themselves.
I hear others complain about everything from poor health to their lousy jobs or how much they hate school to how “foreigners” are overtaking our country, and more. Sadly, I don’t notice nearly as many people who are eager to share how blessed they are … how much God has done for them … how fortunate they feel to be able to get out of bed every morning and breathe fresh air. I don’t notice many people who answer the question, “How is work?” or “How is school?” with a response that indicates that they are grateful for the opportunity to have a job or the chance to obtain an education.
Back to the stockers at the grocery store – they peppered their conversation with references to a televangelist and other church “leaders” who are warning us about how bad things are. Frankly, their reference to this particular evangelist – who I consider to be a grumbler who operates in spreading fear – spoke volumes to me. They never once mentioned prayer for our nation, trusting God to help us through our struggles, or anything that was remotely related to experiencing the peace of Christ. And I had to ask myself … what does this say to others who hear them? Do people recognize them as part of the body of Christ, allowing Him to control their thoughts and give them peace? Do others see any sign that these people are grateful or walking in faith?
Or does our grumbling, complaining and negative body language give others the impression that we are fearful and pessimistic? Does our apparent lack of peace and confidence actually turn off others … especially those who are riding the fence about whether or not to trust Jesus for themselves?
What is wrong with us? Why have we allowed the devil to have such victory in this area of our lives? Why have we let him steal our peace? Why aren’t we talking with God and asking Him to show us how to get through the challenges of our day, then moving forward in the peace and comfort of feeling confident that He will do exactly this? Why aren’t we more grateful for how blessed we are?
I believe the devil makes it too easy and too “fun” to grumble and gripe. For many of us it has become our favorite pastime and hobby. But we need to take a good hard look at our behavior and kick this negativity to the curb. It’s time to start operating in positives. I’m not talking about being phony. If we truly are trusting God to control our thoughts and give us peace, behaving as if we are peaceful and grateful is authentic … and reflects our commitment to being an honorable member of the body of Christ.
I pray that we will each set aside some time this next week to examine our lives … our thoughts, speech, and actions. Let’s see where we need to make some changes. Let’s see where we need to trust God more … and operate in blessings and gratitude. Let’s kick Satan - and his negativity and dissention - to the curb and represent the body of Christ as we were chosen to do. Are you with me on this?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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