✝ Daily Encouragement (11/16/23) "Stop Pouting!"

Published: Thu, 11/16/23

A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.

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Thursday, November 16, 2023

An Amish farmer raking hay and stirring up a bit of dust on Ronks Road, Lancaster County
Click on photo to enlarge

"Stop Pouting!"

Message summary: A lesson on grumbling . We can have an attitude of complaining or that of thankfulness. The choice is ours! Stop pouting!

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“Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” (James 5:9). “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death’” (Exodus 16:2,3). “These people are grumblers and faultfinders” (Jude 16a).

In our ABF class this last Sunday a missionary spoke through "Zoom" who shared about going to Niger, a very poor country in Africa that is experiencing political upheaval (they had a coup this summer). He showed a photo of a group he had met with who were sitting on the ground. They told him they had no food, no electricity and other destitute conditions but they were still trusting God with a faith-filled outlook.

Are there people in your life who claim to be believers who have lost their shout, AKA their joy in the Lord? Instead of a joyful outlook in life they're prone to sitting around and pouting, and inviting you to join them in doing so. Whining is very contagious but so is joy! So we choose as to whether we are going to be grumblers, faultfinders or a joyful people.

Brooksyne found herself whining about not having an electric dishwasher in 2001, the year we moved to Lancaster. We rented an old farmhouse and enjoyed that experience for about 14 months before purchasing our own home. When she saw a plaque "Thou shalt not whine" at a farmer's market she purchased it and hung it above her kitchen sink which really improved her outlook. She also hung it over the kitchen sink after we bought our new home and it remains there to this day. Although "Thou Shalt Not Whine" is not included in the Ten Commandments it's certainly a good Bible-based rule to live by!

The Babylon Bee is a satire site that often has a way of hitting the nail squarely on the head in satirizing current events! However increasingly it seems what was satire only a few years ago becomes real!

A Bee article's headline reads "Study: Average American Now Complains More In A Week Than People Living Through The Black Plague Did Their Entire Lives" . *

It does seem complaining has increased in our lifetime and the sources become more and more trivial. Just consider the last time you complained, even in your heart?

Complaining (AKA as grumbling, whining, murmuring or pouting) is essentially our reaction to a perceived unfairness. "I don't deserve this" or "It's not fair", we might cry out. But there's a wonderful theological truth expressed early in the Bible by Abraham that we should hide deep within our souls. "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). The answer to that question is always "Yes".

Complaining is not new but it is an ancient affliction. The daily text states, "The whole congregation of the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert". They had just been delivered in a remarkable, miraculous way from Egyptian bondage. It seems they should be immune from complaining, at least for awhile, but it didn't take long.

The source of their complaining in this instance was their hunger which was genuine. In recent years the word "hangry" has been added to the dictionary to describe one's being "bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger". The Israelites recalled a very selective and likely embellished memory from Egypt, "There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted". This is quite a contrast to the description of their living conditions when they actually lived there! (See Exodus 2:23.)

Today, we ask you, are you living with a healthy, non-complaining outlook, expressing God's love and providential care, even during seasons of "difficulty" that may prompt complaining? Or are you, like the Israelites in our text, focusing on the hardships you face? If so, that focus usually leads to complaining, self-pity, or even embellishing comparisons from the past.

William Law, who lived in the early 1700's observed:

"Whenever you find yourself disposed to uneasiness or murmuring at anything that is the effect of God's providence, look upon yourself as denying either the wisdom or goodness of God."

Often our concept of fairness is based on how we perceive others are doing, especially if we think they're doing better or they are not enduring a trial like us. If they are doing better or not undergoing a trial we may think, "That's not fair". But we rarely tend to apply this sense of fairness when we are doing better than others!

We have two attitudes we can live with: One is that "We have so much to complain about" , although few would be this blunt in wording; they just demonstrate a complaining spirit.

The preferred attitude is "We have so much to be thankful for". Menno, who lived to be 102, often sat near us in church. Long before we met him, in his youth and prime of life, he was a worship leader, Sunday School teacher and very active in the kingdom of God. During his latter years he used a walker and was nearly deaf but still attended every Sunday and often greeted us by saying, "We have so much to be thankful for". It left a lasting example for us to follow.

Do you have a healthy non-complaining outlook? Do you speak often of God's love and providential care, even in seasons of difficulty?

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, it is impossible for me to give sincere thanks to You unless I have a grateful heart. Open my eyes to see and verbalize the little blessings that come even when I'm walking through dark clouds of difficulty. My daily blessings, by far, outnumber my troubles. Good health, comfortable shelter, abundant food, a loving family, steady work, caring friendships and many other blessings seem all too common so I often take them for granted. At times I even feel entitled to these blessings. Help me not to wait until trouble erupts before I look to You. Instead I want to be thankful for Your goodness toward me for past blessings and to remain confident that You will be just as faithful in providing for my future needs. And remind me to never take personal credit but realize that all good things come from You. In Your name, Jesus, I thank You today! Amen.

A memory: Years ago we were speaking at a small country church in York County, PA where an older couple sang a song as he played his guitar. Their style was Southern Gospel and they sang with such enthusiasm and earnestness. They sang a locally written song Brooksyne and I had never heard before which caught our attention due to a line with a somewhat contrived rhyme, but with a real good message I believe we all do well to apply.

"Some people have lost their shout,
All they do is sit around and pout.
Get under the spout,
Where the glory comes out!"

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Yes I Will" Watch on YouTube Vertical Worship

Brooksyne's Note: Last night our choir was going over our songs on the platform that we will be leading in our worship service on Sunday. When we began to sing "Yes I Will" I sang quite enthusiastically and emphatically the first part of the song: "The same God who never fails will not fail me now". I've sung it many times but this time when I came to the chorus I had a check in my spirit about the words I was singing. Do I really sing for joy when my heart is heavy especially in the lowest valley (see words below). I had to pray about it and even confessed to the choir member next to me that the words are biblical as James said "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials", but I come short of doing so more often than I like to admit. She too expressed the same feeling. So how can we be joyful in dark trials? As I was writing the prayer for today I believe the Lord gave me proper perspective in how I can have a thankful heart in joy or in sorrow because of His overall provisions and blessings in my life. If you didn't catch it first time go back and see if the Lord might speak personally to you through the prayer - at least, that is my prayer for you today.

Yes I will lift You high in the lowest valley
Yes I will bless Your name
Oh, yes, I will sing for joy when my heart is heavy
All my days
Oh, yes, I will

"Give Thanks" Watch on YouTube Don Moen

"Goodness Of God" Video Gold City (Dedicated to Tina Matangelo)

* Study: Average American Now Complains More In A Week Than People Living Through The Black Plague Did Their Entire Lives Babylon Bee article (satire) mentioned in our first paragraph.

Although our area is growing rapidly we still have plenty of reminders we are in the country. Yesterday we were refueling when this tractor drove in to "spice up" the area. Any idea what is being hauled?

With four dogs and a cat this plaque perfectly describes the daily challenge we have in keeping up with stray hairs finding their way especially in the corners of three stairways....well, just about anywhere if you look hard enough. We keep our sweepers running constantly including the robot sweeper Brooksyne's sister sent last Christmas (Ester is in charge of it since she really enjoys anything that is technology designed.) Brooksyne often says, "If only we could make money from the pet hair!"

Today we had our annual delivery of anthracite coal we burn in our coal stove which keeps our lower family room nice and tasty during the winter as well as rising to help heat the rest of our house. Richard and Robert, two very colorful identical twins who are our age run the coal company. The truck bed was built in 1964.

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