“Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” James 5:9
The Bible often refers to faithless complaining as grumbling and warns us not to do so.
James warns the church to guard against internal strife. In essence, he is saying, “Do not turn on one another, because we need one another’s strength, encouragement and accountability to survive the tests and trials of life .”
Grumbling implies we don’t trust God. But He expects us to trust Him in every situation, with the assurance that He is a loving Father, unchangeable and utterly trustworthy.
Sadly, grumbling can keep us from the purposes of God for our life. It makes us deaf to His voice and fixes our eyes on the difficult situations we face instead of upon Jesus. The longer we remain in that negative place, like the Israelites, we remain in our wilderness instead of enjoying the abundant grace and fullness of eternal life here and now.
Jesus is not only coming to rescue us from the wrath to come (1 Thess 1:10) – He is also coming as a Judge.
Prayer:
Father, please forgive me for the times when I have not honored you in my thoughts and words. I pray that You will give me a grateful heart and a deeper knowledge of Your nature and character, so that I will be filled with thankfulness and joy because my hope and trust are rooted in Your eternal love. In the name of Jesus, I ask – Amen.