Another Hard Saying

You can find lists of "hard sayings" from Scripture. You know. Things like "sell all your possessions" or "give to one who asks" or a lot of that stuff about women in church. Difficult stuff. I came across this one, and I think it should be in that list.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. (Php 2:14-16)

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing"? That's not just the American way; it's the human way. We consider it a badge of honor to grumble about the stuff we don't like. I've heard it said that American's favorite pasttime is no longer baseball; it's litigation. Because we're grumbling. We're not happy about the government or the neighbors or the corporations or the church or the government. (Yeah, I know, I said that one twice. I thought it deserved it.) We don't like the Left or we don't like the Right or we don't like the people that disagree with us. And we will tell someone about it. We will complain ad nauseam. Because it's what we do. And Paul, silly Apostle that he was, is telling us we shouldn't?

It's particularly pointed, however, since the text comes after, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves" (Php 2:3) and that whole thing about being humble like Jesus was -- "emptied Himself" (Php 2:5-8). And it immediately follows "work out your salvation" and "it is God who is at work in you ..." (Php 2:12-13). I've often considered "work out your salvation" a tough line and am so grateful for the assurance that "it is God who is at work in you to will and to work His good pleasure," so I suppose the same thing should apply for "Do all things without grumbling or disputing." Especially considering that doing so in a crooked and perverse world will make us out as lights in the world that dearly needs light. So I suppose we really ought to do it, "holding fast to the word of life." Seems like the best option for anyone who calls themself a Christian.