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We whine about seemingly trivial matters. A complainer thinks: “I dislike my boss – he needs to treat me better. I hate waiting for the bus, and if it doesn’t appear now, I will scream. Why can’t we pay less GST and income taxes?” We grumble, hoping that life will be better, and if things don’t go our way, we whine. We make excuses, yet the Bible shows us that the act of complaining is an attitude that spells ungratefulness and bitterness. It can also test God’s patience. “And do not grumble, as some of them did – and were killed by the destroying angel” (1 Cor. 10:10).
This trap of complaining was what the Israelites fell into as they requested persistently for food, water, and other needs. They were not satisfied with what God had given them and they continually wanted more. “In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test. So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them” (Ps. 106: 14-15). For forty years, God withheld the Promised Land from them.
In Romans 3:23 the Apostle Paul wrote: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. We are born slaves to sin but God offers us freedom from sin. We choose to be slaves of righteousness. “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Rom. 6:20-22). Hence, Paul argues that Christians do not continue in sin. If we choose sin, we are enslaving ourselves to a master who will make our lives miserable. As slaves of righteousness, we are made holy, cleansed, forgiven. We have freedom from sin. We follow God and consistently choose Him. Don’t let sin use your bodies as tools or weapons. So instead of complaining, ask yourself these questions: What do I live for? What motivates my daily life? What is the goal I am constantly moving towards and whose slave am I? Hunger for righteousness and God will fill you.
