A Grumbling Mood

By Joni Eareckson TadaLately I’ve been putting up my spiritual antennae, and I’m hearing some things that alarm me. I’m hearing grumbling, complaining, and murmuring. Everybody seems to have a gripe or complaint or feel victimized—it’s awful! Many Christians feel it’s their duty to voice complaints.

That’s the way the Israelites felt when they complained about Moses. It didn’t matter that God was sovereign and in control of all their problems. It wasn’t important that Moses had a good track record. The Israelites were disgruntled, and they were going to voice their gripes.

Scary stuff, this faultfinding. How scary? Well, the book of Jude has some pretty serious things to say in the verses for today. The word ungodly is used four times—count them, four—to describe not murderers and adulterers but grumblers and faultfinders.

Now, your gripe might be justified. Wrongdoing might be going on that needs to be exposed. But make sure that your concerns are legitimate and that you’re not indulging in a complaining spirit. Examine your heart. Are you voicing your complaints to the right people, in the right way, for the right reasons? Let God take a peek at your motives, just to make sure all is well.

Lord, teach me to guard my heart from a complaining spirit. Enable me to place a lock on my mouth rather than utter that which would needlessly stir discontent. Above all, help me to be discerning about when and how to speak.