rec0804-112611<\/a><\/p>\n \n \n Introduction<\/em><\/p>\n Viktor Frankl<\/strong><\/p>\n Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: To choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.<\/p>\n If Viktor Frankl\u201d\u201dhaving endured a concentration camp<\/span>\u201d\u201dcan say that, what\u201d\u2122s our excuse for a bad attitude?<\/em><\/p>\n A chaplain was speaking to a soldier on a cot in a hospital. “You have lost an arm in the great cause,” he said. “No,” said the soldier with a smile. “I didn’t lose it–I gave it.”<\/p>\n What an amazing attitude<\/em>!<\/p>\n The noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, “What are you doing?” The first replied, “I’m cutting stone for 10 shillings a day.” The next answered, “I’m putting in 10 hours a day on this job.” But the third said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.”<\/p>\n What made the difference?<\/p>\n Perspective.\u00a0 ATTITUDE!<\/p>\n Today we begin a series to parallel a Bible Study that begins tomorrow evening at 6:30, entitled, \u201cLord, Change My Attitude\u201d.<\/p>\n You see, more often than not, we live our days \u201cclinging to the idol of a perfect life\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/strong> \u201d\u00a6 and \u201cby choosing to complain, by clinging to the idol of a perfect life, you are flushing away the grace of God\u201d (James MacDonald).<\/p>\n We live\u201d\u201dI live\u201d\u201dclinging to the idol of a perfect life.<\/p>\n Here\u201d\u2122s the catch\u201d\u00a6here\u201d\u2122s the real issue:<\/p>\n Is \u201ca perfect life\u201d real?\u00a0 Is this even a possibility?\u00a0 Will we ever find \u201ca perfect life\u201d?<\/p>\n Because\u201d\u00a6if such a life is truly attainable, then maybe we should actually reconsider the god we worship!\u00a0 Let\u201d\u2122s be honest\u201d\u201da \u201cperfect life\u201d would be pretty hard to beat, right?<\/p>\n But the problem is\u201d\u00a6that perfect life we hope for<\/em> and pursue and run hard after\u201d\u00a6it will never be found<\/em>.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Because, if we reach yesterday\u201d\u2122s definition of \u201cperfect\u201d, our discontented, greedy hearts will redefine \u201cperfect\u201d and we\u201d\u2122ll find ourselves still wanting \u201cmore\u201d, wanting \u201cbetter\u201d, wanting \u201ceasier\u201d, wanting \u201cmore stable\u201d or \u201cmore ideal\u201d or \u201cmore comfortable\u201d\u201d\u00a6and on and on and on.<\/p>\n The KEY is realizing that THERE IS NO PERFECT LIFE APART FROM GOD\u201d\u2122S GRACE IN JESUS!<\/p>\n What makes life \u201cperfect\u201d is grace\u201d\u201dthat takes the imperfect and less than desirable circumstances of our life and relationships and transforms them into something beautiful that God uses to change us and point others to Jesus!<\/p>\n And what connects us to that grace is our own choices to have a grateful attitude that embraces grace<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n Attitudes are patterns of thinking that take years to form.\u00a0 While we can’t change our attitudes overnight, we can recognize wrong attitudes and begin working on right attitudes to take their place.<\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n How many of us like to hear folks complain?<\/p>\n (Dare to Complain Slide)<\/p>\n Philippians 2:12-15<\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Philippians 2:12-15 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n 12\u00a0<\/sup>Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13\u00a0<\/sup>For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.<\/p>\n 14\u00a0<\/sup>Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15\u00a0<\/sup>so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.<\/p>\n Here\u201d\u2122s the big picture in simple terms:<\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Paul tells us that we\u201d\u2122re to live life reverently because God is powerfully working in us every day so that His light shines through us to the a blind world that needs to see!<\/p>\n And in the midst of that, Paul makes it crystal clear that our attitude in the middle of God\u201d\u2122s work in our lives is key to whether or not we shine for Jesus!<\/p>\n How is your attitude about your life right now?<\/em><\/p>\n God is never the source of murmuring and complaining.<\/p>\n When we are murmuring and complaining\u201d\u201dor having any other bad attitude\u201d\u201dGod does not have control of our hearts!<\/em><\/p>\n A grateful attitude WILL lead to joyful obedience\/love to Jesus that will make our \u201clittle light\u201d shine brightly to those all around us!<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n But, seriously, Chad\u201d\u00a6is complaining really that big of a deal?<\/p>\n I mean, everyone I know complains about something, it seems.\u00a0 And times are hard, ya know?\u00a0 There\u201d\u2122s a lot of stuff to complain about!<\/p>\n Listen to what Paul points out about God\u201d\u2122s perspective on our complaining from the history of His people, Israel.<\/p>\n 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0I don\u201d\u2122t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters,about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2\u00a0<\/sup>In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3\u00a0<\/sup>All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4\u00a0<\/sup>and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5\u00a0<\/sup>Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.<\/p>\n 6\u00a0<\/sup>These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7\u00a0<\/sup>or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, \u201cThe people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.\u201d 8\u00a0<\/sup>And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.<\/p>\n 9\u00a0<\/sup>Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10\u00a0<\/sup>And don\u201d\u2122t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death<\/strong>. 11\u00a0<\/sup>These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n 12\u00a0<\/sup>If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13\u00a0<\/sup>The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.<\/p>\n Grumbling and complaining are lumped in with idolatry and sexual immorality among the reasons that God destroyed some of His own people!<\/p>\n WHY?\u00a0 Because God takes grumbling and complaining very seriously.<\/p>\n Numbers 11:1<\/strong><\/p>\n And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord<\/em> about their misfortunes and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.<\/p>\n Every complaint you or I have ever uttered\u201d\u201deither out loud or in our hearts\u201d\u201dhas been within \u201cthe hearing of the Lord\u201d!<\/em><\/p>\n ** Don\u201d\u2122t forget something about the context of what was going on in among God\u201d\u2122s people during this time:<\/p>\n God had loved them and kept them and provided for them and rescued them from slavery in Egypt\u201d\u00a6and was in the process of taking them to the Promised Land\u201d\u201dthat land \u201cflowing with milk and honey\u201d\u201d\u201deven as the complaints rolled off their tongues, even as the grumblings spewed from their hearts!<\/p>\n And yet, they complained!<\/p>\n How long is the list of God\u201d\u2122s goodness to us that we choose to forget\/ignore in order to complain?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n MacDonald<\/strong><\/p>\n He considers our grousing an act of unbelief directed toward Him.\u00a0 He\u201d\u2122s the One who provides us life and breath, health and security, food and drink; yet when we complain, we\u201d\u2122re saying that His provision isn\u201d\u2122t good enough.\u00a0 What have You done for me lately, God?\u00a0 And why haven\u201d\u2122t You done this for me?\u00a0 Our complaints are insults, verbalizing that we don\u201d\u2122t trust Him to provide, protect, and order our lives.\u00a0 To the Lord complaining feels like an accusation that He\u201d\u2122s not taking care of us\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n \u201d\u00a6because that is exactly what complaining IS!<\/p>\n Complaining ALWAYS results from our focus on what we DON\u201d\u2122T have!<\/p>\n And our complaints stem from 3 roots that all ultimately question the goodness of God towards us (and I\u201d\u2122m borrowing directly from our Bible Study here):<\/p>\n 1) \u00a0Our Fleshly Desires<\/strong><\/p>\n What fleshly sense of entitlement has fueled your complaining?<\/em><\/p>\n 2) \u00a0Our Jealousy of Others<\/strong><\/p>\n Are you murmuring because someone besides you is getting attention or praise?<\/em><\/p>\n 3) \u00a0Our Disrespect for Authority<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you hate being told what to do?\u00a0 Do you complain about those in authority over you?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Realize\u201d\u201dGod puts people in authority and it\u201d\u2122s His design for us to submit to them.\u00a0 A complaining attitude about those in authority over us reveals a deeper disdain for God\u201d\u2122s authority in our lives\u201d\u00a6and is simple rebellion against God Himself!<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Grumbling\/complaining can destroy your personal witness.\u00a0 After all, what\u201d\u2122s different about your God if you gripe just like everyone else around you?<\/p>\n Grumbling\/complaining can destroy a church\u201d\u2122s witness.\u00a0 After all, though we can\u201d\u2122t save anyone, aren\u201d\u2122t we those who know the Savior of the world, the Source of all grace and mercy, the Love of our souls, the Fountain of living water, the Bread of life, the Redeemer and the Friend who will never leave us nor forsake us?<\/p>\n If we SAY we know HIM and do what we do as a church FOR HIM\u201d\u00a6then if our community hears complaining and grumbling in our ranks, how believable do you think the Message about Who Jesus is going to be to those who need to hear it?<\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The KEY is realizing that THERE IS NO PERFECT LIFE APART FROM GOD\u201d\u2122S GRACE IN JESUS!<\/p>\n What makes life \u201cperfect\u201d is grace\u201d\u201dthat takes the imperfect and less than desirable circumstances of our life and relationships and transforms them into something beautiful that God uses to change us and point others to Jesus!<\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It’s not about your actions.\u00a0 It’s not about your circumstance.\u00a0 It’s not about your relationships.\u00a0 It’s not even about your life’s calling.\u00a0 It’s all about your attitude! You can<\/em> stop the flow of negativity that causes happiness to hemorrhage, and you can<\/em> start the flow of good attitudes that cause abundant joy to flourish.<\/p>\n HOW?\u00a0 By choosing to focus on grace and be thankful for it!<\/em><\/p>\n And we\u201d\u2122ll focus on that next week.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/em><\/p>\n Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.<\/p>\n Steve Goodier, Quote<\/em> Magazine, in Reader’s Digest<\/em>, May, 1990.<\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Are you going to live as a vulture, feeding on the dung of complaints which accuse God of never being\/doing enough for you?<\/em><\/p>\n Or will you be a hummingbird, feeding on the flowers of gratitude which praises Jesus for being, truly, a gracious plenty for you in every way?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis little light of mine\u201d can\u201d\u2122t shine for Jesus if I have the wrong attitude about life!<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Message by Chad Kelly rec0804-112611 Introduction Viktor Frankl Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: To choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way. If Viktor Frankl\u201d\u201dhaving endured a concentration camp\u201d\u201dcan say … Continue reading Lord, Cure My Complaining!<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n