Day 32 -No Time for Complaining!

Acts 6:1(NKJV) “Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint….”

Doesn’t that sound all too familiar? The moment God starts moving and new believers are being added to the kingdom, the devil starts to ruffle a few feathers. We’ve all been there. Someone said something that hurt your feelings, another person failed to give you the recognition you deserve…and all of the sudden rising from within you (myself included) comes the desire to COMPLAIN!

Webster’s dictionary defines a complaint as an expression of grief, pain, or dissatisfaction. So why do we complain? Typically a complaint stems from a lack of feeling loved, appreciated, valued, or respected. In Acts chapter 6, a complaint arose because two parties (the Grecian Jews and the Hebraic Jews) were arguing over the proper dispersion of food. One group felt that they were getting slighted. So, out of anger and hurt, they begin to complain that one group was being ‘favored’ over the other. Have you ever felt that way? Like someone else was getting what you deserved?

It’s so easy to get caught up in the ‘woe is me’ mentality. Pastor Eric mentioned something in this past Sunday’s message that stuck with me. He said, “It’s easy to find a reason to quit, but it’s harder to find a reason to stay.” Those words are so true, especially when you are hurt and feeling unloved. But as we grow in Christ, we must come to the understanding that we do not need man’s approval. We are living for God and God alone. He is our strength and a strong tower that we can run to. So when the world makes you feel alone and Satan tries to make you see all the bad in a situation, RISE UP! Don’t let Satan be a stumbling block to your destiny in God.

While it’s easy to sit back and complain, it’s a lot harder to give praise. We live in a society full of judgment and comparison. But thankfully, we serve a God full of love and compassion. A God who is gracious, slow to anger, and rich in love. Scripture states that, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). May God create in us a clean heart and renew within us a steadfast spirit.

Greater things are yet to come in the Lake Cumberland and Green River regions! Let’s keep lifting each other up as we go after God. I would like to end by sharing a few lyrics to a song that have been echoing in my heart the past few days:

For I’m in love with God, and God’s in love with me.
This is who I am, and this is who I’ll be.
That settles it! Completely!

Have a blessed Thursday and see you at HPC at 7:00pm CST ready to worship!