This morning my father-in-law wanted to treat Jenifer, her mother, and myself to donuts.  My mother-in-law and I like maple frosting with nuts, Jenifer likes chocolate and my father-in-law likes anything.  When my father-in-law got home with a dozen donuts we all sat down, asked the Lord’s blessings on the treat and began to indulge.  As Jenifer's Mom and I started eating our maple Long Johns, (also considered a donut) the taste was not maple but caramel.  My mother-in-law noticed the off taste first, asking if anyone else noticed the different taste.  From that simple question came a long morning of continuous grumbling about the donuts not being maple and the store not being honest when asked about having maple donuts.

    We took the donuts back primarily because when my father-in law asked about the maple not looking like maple the lady in the bakery said they were their “new maple” so he took them, trusting her word.  We ended up returning the remainder of the maple donuts and paid for the one chocolate that Jenifer had eaten.
 
    When Jenifer and I returned home we explained what was said at the bakery, (excuses and half truths) the grumbling extended from not only the off flavor but now the dishonesty of the bakery.  The one thing I can tell you with full assurance is that not one ounce of grumbling solved a single thing.  My father-in-law was just trying to do something nice and thoughtful for the rest of us but all the grumbling certainly did not make him feel like repeating the favor again.
 
    Jenifer and I had not yet had our quiet time when the donut surprise arrived, but we ate with the rest of the family anyway.  We knew better than to start our day on our own and the results were flesh rather than spirit.  We have no excuses nor should it be a surprise.  As we gathered our things for our quiet time with God I mentioned to Jenifer, jokingly and in passing, “Now that we’ve gotten all our grumbling out, we can repent of it.”  The truth cuts deep.

    This is a very simple example of not keeping our thoughts in check, and our mouth shut; and how easily we can get caught up in grumbling and complaining if we don’t take captive every thought.  We may think and grumble to ourselves which is still destructive personally, but not as widespread as public grumbling which generally leads to a chain reaction of destruction.

    What makes things worse is that I knew better--we knew better. God had very recently been dealing with me about grumbling so I knew better and made a choice, disregarding the wisdom God had given me.
 
    Jenifer and I should have volunteered right away to return the donuts (without grumbling) for a refund or exchange them for the real maple donuts.  As I went to the Lord for forgiveness, I was asked “What good came from all that grumbling?”  As I sat and thought, my flesh tried to justify my destructive behavior, but the Word of God teaches that our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).  I guess if justifying my bad behavior was important to me I would do a study on just Jesus’ behavior and attitude, but then I wouldn’t be any better than a Pharisee, Scribe, or religious leader.
 
    As the Lord and I dealt with this serious issue, it was time to be honest with myself, gain awareness of my grumbling, repent, ask for forgiveness, seek and accept change throughout the remainder of my life.  Not just for a season but change from now on.  Being honest and asking the Lord to reveal my grumbling Spirit was startling and shameful.  I found there to be more grumbling in my life than I would like to admit to.  It is so easy to grumble and equally destructive.
 
    A good thing to remember is that when we pray and ask God to reveal something, expect to get an answer, but don’t expect it to be what you want to hear.  Examining myself was not easy.  God laid my character open before me, it was ugly and humbling. 

    A common thread for grumbling, faultfinding, complaining, murmuring, etc. always begins and grows in our thoughts, a selfish thought (ungratefulness), not having things go the way I would like them to go.  Either things are too slow, too fast, too big or too small, didn’t taste, smell, or feel right, not accustomed to doing things that way, too hot or too cold, too dry or too wet, too expensive, (never grumbling about being too inexpensive) and the list can go on forever.  Remember the study about “Taking Captive Every Thought?”  How we allow our thoughts to run amuck, growing into something bigger than what they really are?  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

    Now that I have basically confessed to the whole world what God has been dealing with me about it is time for you to examine your own life.  Do yourself a favor, in the morning as soon as you wake up start collecting  all your thoughts, all your grumbling.  The people that are not morning people have a good chance of starting the day off grumbling, but think of it this way, not being a morning person is just an excuse for a grumbling spirit.  God and a willingness to change your attitude will have praises in your mouth instead of grumbling.  There are people, however, (Christians as well) who seem to enjoy being negative, it seems to be their life’s ambition to be  miserable and make others miserable.  Is this a praise worthy attitude?  Do people like this go before the Lord giving thanks for their grumbling spirit?  Or possibly the problem is that they do not go before the Lord, lacking a personal relationship.

    Please don’t get me wrong.  Jenifer and I are not grumblers, but we are human (not to justify our grumbling).  But, obviously, if we grumble a little, even that is too much for God.  God has His way of pointing these things out in our lives, not to be mean or cruel but to teach, to purge us of the things that hinder our walk so that we might be free.
 
    Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ.  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.  Indeed, you are still not ready.  You are still worldly.  For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?  Are you not acting like mere men? (1 Cor 3:1-3)  We as Christians are to be set apart from the world, yes we live in the world but not of the world.  Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Heb 10:22)  We are to hunger and thirst for righteousness and the pure in heart are blessed (Matt 5:6-8)  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
   
    Paul exhorts the church of Phillipi, which is applicable to us as well.  “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Phil 2:14)   If we allow ourselves to get caught up in grumbling, we should ask ourselves, is there anything positive  coming from my grumbling, either in my life or in anyone else's life? (James 5:9)  There is a long list of disastrous behaviors that can be fed through our grumbling--all leading to sin:  gossip, slander, pride, anger, resentment, bitterness, guilt, unforgiveness, a lying heart, a hard heart, jealousy, complacency, excuses, laziness, insensitivity, a seared conscience, contempt, malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, rage, quarreling, greed, lewdness, arrogance, folly, theft, false testimony, lust, and blame. (Matthew 15:18-20; Mark 7:22; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8; 1 Timothy 5:13; Titus 3:2; James 4:11;1 Peter 2:1)  You may be able to come up with more as you search your own heart but if anything mentioned applies to you, a change is needed, a step toward maturity.  Does your spirit testify that you have honored God with your words or dishonored God and yourself by your words and actions before man and God?  James is always good at putting a straight forward perspective on life, and taming the tongue is an invaluable teaching (James 3:1-12).  James says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”  (James 1:22)  Matthew 15:8 "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

    One of the greatest examples from scripture of grumbling and the trouble it led to is the Israelites as they left Egypt for the Promised Land. (Exodus 15:22-16:1-12;Ex 17:1-7).  The Israelites found themselves grumbling over things being difficult.  This grumbling continued every time a new trial came upon them, until finally God had had enough (Deut 1:26-40).  The Israelites were going to have to wonder around in the desert until all of their generation had died because their grumbling led to their not trusting in what God said for them to do.  This same thing can happen to us--very easily.    

    Choosing not to grumble in the face of adversity leads to God’s glory.  Of all the people in the Bible (excluding Jesus), Paul and Silas stand out the most to me. (Acts 16:16-40)  Here they were simply going to a place to pray when a slave girl began badgering them about being a servant of the most high God.  Paul became annoyed and demanded the spirit to come out of the girl.  This girl was the goose who laid the golden egg for her owners and now the golden egg was gone; the wealth from taking advantage of the demon-possessed slave girl was gone and Paul and Silas were to blame.  The owners stirred up false charges in retaliation against Paul and Silas.  This resulted in Paul and Silas being brought before the magistrates, stripped, beaten, and thrown into an inner cell.  The magistrates felt the need to have Paul and Silas’ feet fastened in the stocks as if they were violent criminals needing extra security.  To add insult to injury, Paul and Silas both were Roman citizens. (Acts 16:37)  They never should have had to endure such treatment--but they did.   

    Rather than accusing, grumbling, threatening, blaming and excusing, Paul and Silas began praying and singing to God not caring if the other prisoners could hear them.  They set the example in praising God in all situations.  By doing so a chain reaction of events took place starting with the prison doors flying open.  Take note, they didn’t just come open they flew open, and the chains of the other poisoners came loose.  (I believe God knew what he was doing by putting them in an inner cell--everyone could hear them and see the example they were setting.)  The jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open.  He assumed the prisoners had escaped and was going to kill himself; because if he didn't his commander would kill him for letting the prisoners escape.  Paul stopped him from doing this.  He shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"  Why didn’t the other prisoners escape?  I believe it was because of Paul and Silas’ example of character.

    Because of these events Paul and Silas were able to lead not only the jailer to the Lord but his entire family.  Because of the choices Paul and Silas made to praise rather than grumble God’s blessings were poured out on many people that night.  I truly believe in my heart that if Paul and Silas would have resorted to grumbling they would have spent more time in prison and the jailer and his family would not have received the gift of salvation.

    How many blessings have we missed because of our choices to grumble?  How many blessings have we stolen from others because of our grumbling?  In reality it all comes down to our perspective, how we look at everything.  If we are tunnel visioned--looking only at ourselves, our situation, our thoughts and feelings--we’ll miss the glorious purpose of God’s plan.  Grumbling is selfishness in it’s purest form, destructive to ourselves and destructive to others.  It is impossible to praise and grumble at the same time, we all must choose.