Philippians 2 - 1.31.24
Scripture
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure
Observation
God wants our obedience, but He wants our heart also.
Application
Do everything without grumbling? I have to admit that I am a master grumbler. I do think we should be able to let our feelings out and then move on. But I think there a few caveats:
We should be expressing our feelings to God rather than others
When we feel like grumbling, we need to examine our hearts
For me, sometimes I can convince myself to obey, but I grumble along the way. God wants us to obey because we love Him and want to please Him. He wants us to trust Him and understand that He wants the best for us. He wants our hearts. He wants us to obey, but is a half-hearted obedience really obedience? Imagine a time when God speaks and we simply say yes!
A verse stood out to me from our reading in Malachi 4 last week:
Vs. 2 - But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.
I felt like God was reminding me how much He loves me and encouraging me to focus on positive things rather than on problems and obstacles. Today is another reminder that He wants to change my heart from the master grumbler to the master truster.
Prayer
God, thank you that you love me and have such patience with me when I don’t deserve it. Thank you for this reminder today that you want a heart of love for you and a desire to please you.
To those of you reading this, please help me with this challenge - the next time you see me, ask me to name something I am grateful for.
- Debbie Dunn
