Grumbling and Arguing

Ephesians 2:14-16a  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 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. 

Wow!  Talk about a scripture teaching that I fall miserably short of the goal!  Do everything?  I can see doing church work and serving God without grumbling, but really, everything?  That is a tall order and a beautiful goal I fall short of too often.  I grumble at God, my family, my friends and even complete strangers if they have a listening ear.  I can grumble about the weather, my sports teams losing, decisions of people I don't like, people who don't like me, why God didn't work like I wanted him to work, etc, etc...  

Paul writes if I want to be pure and blameless - I need to understand this concept of no grumbling.  I believe the converse is to understand and have a heart full of gratitude and praise to God!  The more I can focus on the good God is doing and the good work God is doing around me the more I can focus on God!  The more I focus on God the more I become transformed into the image of Christ!  The more I know Christ and the more Jesus people see in me the more I stand out in the sea of complaining and gripping!  

I can shine like a star in a dark world!  If we want to stand out in our world that is warped and crooked, we must understand this concept of not grumbling. Living in a warped and crooked world is not an excuse to grumble!  God is fully aware of the world around us and the darkness that we live in but God is still reminding us to live above the worlds standard and live like Jesus!  

How is your life shining in the darkness today?  Would your light shine brighter if you were more positive and more honoring of God in EVERYTHING?