Philippians 2:14-15
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.
It is God's will for all believers to become "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." So, how do we become "children of God without fault?" There are two ways. First, do not grumble or complain about anything that we do. When we encounter any difficulty, our first reaction is to complain - It's either someone else's fault, or God is unfair, but we fail to see that complaining is how Satan hinders us from living for the Lord. When we complain, our eyesight has shifted from God to ourselves. The Martha served the Lord, she complained because she only saw herself. She said that "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Her focus was solely on herself, so her heart was hectic and her mouth complained.
Next, we must be blameless and pure. Being blameless and pure doesn't mean everyone must become a saint and can never make any mistake. We need to face our faith and life, and especially our mistakes, honestly. We like to cover our mistakes, but it ends up giving people a perfection of hypocrisy. I used to know a sister back in the East Coast who rented a dorm room with a non-believer. At first she was really afraid to make any mistake that might stumble the non-believer, so she was extremely cautious and trying to cover her shortcomings, but as time goes by it became really painful. Later on, she learned to face the roommate with honesty, sharing the joy of faith with her, but also not covering the struggles that she had. The non-believer roommate was really touched because she saw a testimony before her that she could identify with. Even though she was the shortcomings of the sister, it didn't reduce the impact of a honest life of faith.
Brothers and sisters, we can't just sit here and complain about how warped and crooked our generation is. We must stand up for the Lord, don't just complain but active life a blameless and pure life. This world is still waiting to see the testimonies of God's children. Are you willing to deliver such a testimony for the Lord?
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, please guard my mouth and help me not to complain. Let my mouth always be filled with words that praise you. Lord, please guard my heart, so that I may honestly face my shortcomings, so that your mighty power of renewal may be manifested in my life. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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