Are We Willing To Stop Grumbling?
Good Morning Friends,
Patience and being straightforward kind of go together to help make a happy marriage. Marriage and children go together too, for the scripture right after today’s discussion about marriage in the Gospel of Mark is about children. But there is a message here about our spiritual journey and the work of the church more so than just about judgement calls on having healthy relationships. It is about having the right attitude. Are We Willing To Stop Grumbling?
Scripture: Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
James 5:9-12 (NRSV)
He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them. Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Mark 10:1-12 (NRSV)
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16 (NRSV)
Message: Yes, when we pray for patience we often get more affliction. But, when we receive the compassion and mercy of the Lord in our life, it acts as a foundation for our faith to grow and with our faith, patience that the Lord will complete the work started in us. This perspective, this foundation, changes everything. It impacts us and others when we show compassion and mercy as well. Unfortunately, when we gather together as a group of sinners to worship and work, or in a family setting, it is not surprising that we are not always models of good behavior, but often examples of misbehavior. It is within such a context that James directs his comments in today’s scripture. In yesterday’s text from James we are called to have patience, to follow the example of farmers who wait unhurriedly for the crop. We are called to patiently develop the skills of living in community, to grow in love. Friends, the judge is standing at the doors of our hearts, the doors of the Kingdom stand before us, so do not stop before the goal is reached. If you want to avoid His judgment on the journey do not be a stumbling block for others… stop grumbling. Remember how patient Jesus was… think about the prophets and Job and let them inspire you too… Let them compel you to be patient with others. Pursue patience friends. Do not judge the work of the Lord until it is completed. Victory requires persistence. Victory requires patience. Let the fruit of love ripen. Stop grumbling and start living…start giving…start growing. The opening of doors depends on it. The health of relationships depends on it. The harvest depends on it.
Pray for those who do not think they are getting their fair share. Pray we consider patience a virtue. Pray we realize that patience is developed by living a life of faith… by developing a calm endurance that comes with the knowledge that God is in charge. Pray we realize that James tells us the truth about this attitude but that Jesus demonstrated it.
Pray we learn from children what it means to be humble. Pray we learn from children about honesty. Pray we learn from our children about trusting and accepting God’s authority…about having confidence that with God we can be empowered to stop complaining.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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