No Murmuring!

Murmur.  The word itself sounds like a complaint, doesn't it?  That was the topic of our discussion last night and Karen opened it with a quote by Charles Spurgeon: 

 "The very word murmur, how simple it is, made up of two infantile sounds-mur mur.  No sense in it, no wit in it, no thought in it.  Mur mur-just a double groan.  It is the cry rather of a brute than of a man." 

Karen and Mr. Barcley began with a question.  "Are you characterized by a complaining, discontented spirit?"  Hmmm....good question!  I would guess that in all honesty, most of us might say, "no", considering the word "characterized".  But, the second part of the question says, "Would others see you this way?"  Now THAT is a different question.  Perhaps we should ask those closest to us this question.  If the answer is "no" to either of these then you may skip this blog post.  If, however, either of the questions were answered in the affirmative, then read on.

In our Karen led discussion on over-coming murmuring, we hit on 3 main points:

• Let God be God
• Eyes on Jesus
• Live Thankfully 

Let God be God-  Here is a key quote that we discussed:

"Ultimately it comes down to this: are we letting God be God, the Sovereign of the universe who orders all things for our good and his glory?  Or do we consider God to be at our disposal, providing for us and ordering our lives as we think best?"
 

Enough said!

Eyes on Jesus-Under this topic we had a great discussion on "legitimate complaints".  The following are scriptural examples of David and Asaph's complaints before God:  Psalms 13:1-6, 38:6-10, 61: 1-2, 142:1-2 and 5, 77:1-4 and 7-9.  Also, Jeremiah 20:7.  I believe we concluded that we need to bring our petitions and groans or our hearts before our loving Savior.  Perhaps if we complain to the Lord with the right attitude, we might do less in our hearts and before others.  Here is another Spurgeon quote on this topic:

"Ten minutes of praying is better than a year's of murmuring."  

 Karen also pointed out to us the 4 things to meditate on when faced with the temptation to murmur:

• consider that God has purchased us
• consider that He made us to see our sins and has taken the burden of them
• consider that He has turned us away from ourselves and made us into a new man
• consider that He has given us ALL things

Lastly,

Live Thankfully-We need to live before others shining for the light of Christ.  Our murmuring dims the light.  People will take note when we smile through our trials.  It was suggested to us that we make lists of things that we have to thank God for when we are tempted to grumble.  In closing, here is a quote from Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.  This ought to spur us on to thankfulness:

“This is an inventory of the church’s possessions, the spiritual riches of a true believer.  ALL is YOURS.   Nay, the world itself is yours.   Life is yours, that you may PREPARE for the life of heaven;  death is yours, that you POSSESS heaven.   Things present are yours to SUPPORT you along the way;  things to come are yours to ENRICH you forever at your journey’s end.  Time, eternity, earth, heaven, life and death.   All are ours, but remembering at the same time that we are Christ’s.  All things are ours, but upon no other ground than our resting in Christ.”
 

 Amen...

Tomorrow look for Karen's quotations on murmuring and discontent.