There are things that you and I can do right now to reach more people for Christ than ever before, including our families. One of them is to get serious about reducing our complaining and arguing. We live in a thankless world. And as a result, most people spend more time grumbling about their lives and circumstances, than they do giving thanks for all the good in their lives. Unfortunately, many Christians aren’t much better than the unsaved in this area, and little do they know that their ungodly attitude is harming their witness.
The Bible says: “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 as you hold out the word of life.” (Philippians 2:14-16 NIV) What makes Christians stand out among the rest? Being different. When we act like the rest of the world, we blend in to the point of being ineffective in our witness for Christ. If you and I are serious about making an impact on a lost world, we need to stand out in a crowd. One way we can do that is to resist complaining and arguing, like the Scripture says.
Maybe you are in a really tough job situation right now, and it’s hard to resist grumbling about it. If you will call on God, He will enable you, by the power of His Spirit in you, to adopt an attitude about your situation that honors Him, and that gains the attention of those around you. It could be that everyone on your job hates being there, and that they constantly complain and gripe about it. Imagine how you will shine for Christ if you let others see you having a Christlike attitude in the midst of trouble and chaos. Then they will be more likely to be receptive to you when you “hold out the word of life” to them.
God wants to touch and change the lives of people that you know, and He wants to use you to do it. Ask Him to work in your heart and life, so that you can become a “blameless and pure” child of God who will impact a “crooked and depraved generation” for all eternity!