Escalation

Escalation

2 Corinthians 8: ²⁰ We are being careful not to stir up any complaints about the way we handle this generous gift. ²¹ Our purpose is to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of others.

 

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“I’m going to tell!” was my go to set of words. This meant I could not handle the situation and I was going to escalate this to someone who could. I couldn’t fight, but I could tattle on someone. This particular day I tattled and the adult responded, “You are in trouble too.”

 

• I didn’t realize my complaint was also a problem.
• I was not careful about raising up a complaint to a higher authority.
• I could only see a path to getting “that” person in trouble and did not realize I was in trouble too.

 

Paul speaks about being very careful not to stir up complaints. But who would the people complain to? He knew that his actions needed to be above the level because GOD would see what he did and validate the complaint if it were true.

 

My Observations

• GOD wants me to be very careful about complaining about other people.
• GOD wants me to know HE sees and hears every deed that is done and every word spoken.
• GOD wants me to tame my tongue to speak as few complaints as possible and exchange them for praise.

 

Thinking about the complaints I have said about other people over the years is embarrassing. I mean, if I were to escalate all my complaints to GOD and “that” person would die an eternal death because of my complaint, would I really complain? No. Unfortunately, I do not take complaints seriously enough.

 

I think I can whisper a complaint to a friend and think GOD did not hear it. Satan uses complaints to make his case against each human in an attempt to steal them from GOD’s love. He can’t do it by himself, so if he can use my complaint to help him out, he would gladly do so. I am grateful GOD gives me praise as a weapon to fight my complaining tongue.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think the writer is careful about not stirring up complaints?
• Where do you think complaints land?
• What does it look like to do “right” in the sight of the LORD in your life?
• Will you spit out your bitterness and trade your complaint in for an advocating prayer on the behalf of “that” person today?

 

Dear LORD, we apologize for raising petty complaints up to YOUR throne through the ears of other people. Please forgive us of our complaints. amen

Peace, Good Fear and Comfort

Peace, Good Fear and Comfort

Acts 9 ³¹ Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

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Stressed out, I worked all night. Not once did I have time for prayer because the project was due the next day. I feared losing the account even though I was not the account manager. I worked in yesterday’s clothes and ate candy bars from the vending machine top get the work done.

• There were times when I was thoroughly stressed out.
• There were times when I was filled with unhealthy fear.
• There were times when I had no comfort because I was stressed and fearful.

When Saul stopped complaining about the true church people and turned away from his persecution, the people of the LORD had peace. They were probably amazed at the transformation of this huge opposition and feared GOD.

• GOD wants to give me peace but on HIS terms.
• GOD wants me to fear not doing what HE says more than fearing what humans think of me.
• GOD wants to give me comfort but only through belief in JESUS, who sends me the COMFORTER, namely the HOLY SPIRIT.

Peace and comfort cannot be obtained for long without fear of the LORD. I mean I may try to have a moment of peace through some addiction which only brings temporary pleasure. BUT GOD fortifies my heart, removing the sludge and filling it with HIS SPIRIT.

GOD loves. GOD cares. GOD knows. HE sees everything I get myself into and wants me to surrender my life to HIM rather than keep trying to fix it using human methods that bring only marginal to zero results. I am thankful for GOD’s peace, love and comfort. In HIM I fear.

• Do you want peace but are not finding it in the addictions you are pursuing?
• Are you ignoring GOD in fear of yourself?
• Will you surrender your life to GOD so HE can give you peace that withstands life’s pressures and comforts you in the middle of storms?

Weeping and Rejoicing

Luke 19: ⁴¹ As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it ⁴² and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.’

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Complaining about the boss was finally a good idea. I mean the popular few were doing it and I wanted to be popular. While the rest of the group did not feel the same, I joined in on the complaints. When the person left, I joined in with the popular few who rejoiced. The new boss was far worse for everyone. I recognized what the old boss provided, but it was too late.

• Sometimes I am blinded by my complaints.
• Sometimes I am distracted by what “I” think is better.
• Sometimes I am think my sin is “small” and GOD won’t mind.

“JESUS wept” sums up this passage. HE knew free will would be costly for Jerusalem. Political and church leaders would choose following human power, rather than following the ways and words of JESUS. This would be their fall and JESUS knew the fall would be eternal unless they changed their ways.

• GOD says to me, “Recognize the good times that you may label as bad.”
• GOD says to me, “Stop your murmuring and complaining and follow ME.”
• GOD says to me, “Listen to MY words today while you have a chance.”

Looking back on the number of complaints I say per day, I realize I can probably fill up a volcano with these negative words. BUT GOD wants me to seek HIM and rid myself of this negativity. HE wants me to see through the gunk of life and praise HIM for each day.

Only HE can give me the ability to praise HIM. I mean there are some days when a lot rushes towards me and I am overwhelmed. GOD takes me by the hand and leads me besides still waters where only HE can restore my soul. HE is my peace.

• Are you blinded by your complaints?
• Do you blame GOD or praise HIM regularly?
• Will you take a moment to praise GOD today for dying for your sins and the sins of the world?

Inside Out

Luke 7: ³⁶ Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. ³⁷ And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, ³⁸ and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

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Garnished with a smile, I stepped into church. With worries as high as a mountain, I dare not smile and say “everything is fine” in front of the group. No one asked how I was doing, no one checked in the next week.

• There were times when the hurt outweighed the wealth.
• There were times when something inside just had to come out.
• There were times when I wanted to cry out, but had not place to do it.

The woman had a reputation of doing sinful things. She may have even been wealthy as she held an expensive alabaster flask of fragrant oil to anoint JESUS’s head. She was so hurt that she used her tears and hair to wash HIS feet. The Pharisee on the other hand criticized her lifestyle.

• GOD wants me to throw away my criticism.
• GOD wants me to stop looking at what other people are doing and tell HIM about my sin.
• GOD wants me to seek HIM when I am hurting.

The phonier the church, the more masks are worn by the attendees. Pharisees criticize people for their imperfections, BUT GOD sees through this. HE wants the sinner to be able to confess their sin without being damaged more. HE also does a wonderful thing by allowing me to come to HIM with any problem.

• Are you hurting?
• Is life up one day and down the next?
• Can you seek GOD directly with your hurt, worries and problems today?

Looking for Satisfaction

Hosea 13: ⁴ “But I have been the Lord your God
    ever since you came out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me,
    no Savior except me.
⁵ I cared for you in the wilderness,
    in the land of burning heat.
⁶ When I fed them, they were satisfied;
    when they were satisfied, they became proud;
    then they forgot me.

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Struggling to pay bills I cringed when the phone rang knowing it was a credit collector calling. “LORD please help me!” I finally cried out as I began my journey back to following HIM. Eventually I made enough to pay off all my debt and soon I had a decent amount in the bank and investments. “Will you help serve the poor?” was the question posed to me at church. “Not this time, I have to prepare for work, I don’t have time.”

• Once I struggled and cried out to GOD.
• Once I asked GOD if HE even cared.
• Once I begged HIM to take me out of a miserable situation only to be satisfied and forget HIM.

Satisfaction is a problem with me. I mean when I get comfortable in a situation it seems like my prayer goes out the window. In fact complaints crept in where there was once praise. “You mean I have to hear the elevator next to my king suite in this five star hotel?” My mindset had forgotten my MAKER. What should I do?

• GOD says to me “Acknowledge no GOD but ME.”
• GOD says to me “Acknowledge no savior except ME.”
• GOD says to me “Remember ME as long as you live.”

Thankfulness and gratitude should pour from my lips constantly. I should thank GOD for every moment HE allows me to breathe on this planet. Each day HE gives me an opportunity to serve HIM, some days I do and some days I don’t. HE forgives me and I should offer HIM praise instead of complaints. GOD is my satisfaction!

• Are you searching for comfort?
• Do you want satisfaction?
• Can you keep praise on your lips instead of complaints?
• Will you add thankfulness and gratitude to your heart for where GOD has you right now?

Being Useful

Ezekiel 15: The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? ³ Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? ⁴ And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? ⁵ If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?

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With lack of care, I tossed the box of paper to whatever location it landed. I did not appreciate the job, but I liked getting a paycheck. Loading and unloading a truck was not my idea of a job. In fact any job at that time was not my idea of a job.

• There were times that I did not care.
• There were times that I felt everyone owed me something.
• There were times that I looked down on where I was even when I was not worthy of being where I was.

Talk about being useless to the organization. I wanted to hide from “work” as much as possible. In fact, whenever someone was ready to goof off, I was there with my goof shoes on. I was getting paid to unload trucks and did not appreciate one minute. GOD had to show me something about myself.

• GOD said to me “Like a door on its hinges, a lazy man turns back and forth on his bed.”
• GOD said to me “Lazy people are too lazy to lift the food from their plate to their mouth.”
• GOD said to me “Lazy people think they are seven times smarter than the people who really have good sense.”

My laziness was useless to the company and sometimes my laziness crept into my relationship with GOD. I mean sometimes I was too tired to pray or too busy to serve or too broke to give. After a while I took an inventory and was doing everything for myself and nothing for GOD. In fact, GOD was dead last in my life and I was on top.

GOD wants me to put HIM first and others second before I get to myself. HE wants me to hold HIM with the highest regard and ask “What would YOU like me to do?” on a regular basis. My life is definitely HIS to do as HE wishes. I should be thankful on a daily basis.

• Are you grousing and complaining?
• Are you sick and tired of where you are?
• Can you stop complaining and start appreciating where GOD has you?
• Will you allow GOD to work in your life by asking HIM where HE wants you?