“As you go through life, make this your goal...look at the donut and not the hole.” Donuts are great! Wouldn’t it be sad if you focused your attention on the hole in the middle. Wouldn’t you miss out? Wouldn’t it be just a wee bit silly to complain about the hole? What a sad mistake it would be to focus your attention on what you don’t have instead of the incredibly sweet awesomeness you do have! Sadly...some people go through life or seasons of life focused on what’s missing instead of the good things they do have.
Truth is...deep down...you’re either a grumbler or you’re grateful.
Grumbling / whining / complaining / a lack of gratitude...isn’t anything new. Even though at times it seems that the whine has become our national anthem...It’s not uniquely American . It’s not an age thing. People have always grumbled and complained. Adam and Even...had the entire garden except for one tree...they listened to a lie and all they could see was what they didn’t have. That’s the way the devil works. One of his main goals is to get me to take my eyes off of Jesus...all God has done...His blessings...and to put my eyes...cause me to focus on myself...the circumstances...the things I don’t have.
And what about the Israelites? After all God had done & promised. They grumbled because they didn’t have enough water. They grumbled because they didn’t like the food. They didn’t like where God had them living. They grumbled because they thought Moses was a lame leader. They grumbled because they missed Egypt. They grumbled because it was taking to long to experience what God had promised. They grumbled because they thought God had let them down...all the while...He was the one protecting and sustaining them.
Remember the parable Jesus told about the workers in the vineyard? (Matthew 20) Their outlook is bleak until the landowner comes along. It’s not as though they have jobs already and the land owner lures them away with the promise of a bigger paycheck. They’ve got nothing to begin with. No job. No money. No hope. Anything that happens to them...anything the landowner does is a blessing to them. Some are hired early in the day...other’s later...and still others with only an hour left on the shift. Remember...the landowner is generous to everyone who worked. And because the landowner was generous...the workers that started early grumbled and complained, “You made them equal to us.” Life wasn’t fair...their hearts envied...“They thought they deserved more” (v.10) and they grumbled. Ultimately...their beef was with the landowner...the man who had hired them in the first place. The man without whom they would have no job at all. They grumbled...whined...and complained. They couldn’t see the blessing in their life because they were so focused on what they didn’t have...or get. Focused on self.
Just like it’s easy to spot someone who has an attitude of gratitude...grumblers are even easier to spot. (1) A grumbler is never satisfied with what they already have. If it’s money...it’s never enough. If it’s their home...someone else has a nicer one...or a bigger one. They’ve got their PHD in criticism and a Masters in nitpicking. Never satisfied...never grateful...never content...blind to the blessings they already have. (2) A grumbler always has an excuse. Their background. The government. Somebody did this or that. Somebody didn’t do this or that. Excuses, excuses, excuses. (3) A grumbler thinks life is rigged against them. Deep down...they believe the cards aren’t stacked in their favor. No matter how hard they try...they believe their doomed to fail. If you show them a glass of water and ask, “Is it half full or half empty?”...they’ll say, “I don’t know...but I bet the water is polluted.” A grumbler...misses the donut because they’re focused on the hole.
The story is told of two friends who ran into each other at Walmart one afternoon. One of them looked miserable...almost on the verge of breaking down and crying. His friend asked, “What in the world has happened?” The sad friend said, “Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty-thousand dollars.” “That’s a lot of money.” “Yeah, but two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died and left me eighty-five-thousand free and clear.” “Then what’s wrong? Sounds to me like you’ve been blessed...” “You don’t understand!,” the sad friend interrupted. “Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million from her.” Now the friend asking all the questions was really confused. “For crying out loud...how come you’re so miserable?” To which the gloomy friend replied, “This week...nothing!”
That’s the trouble with being blessed on a regular blessing or living in a perpetual state of blessing. We come to expect it. As American’s we’ve been blessed so much for so long that as a society...we’ve developed a bit of an “entitlement mindset.” If we aren’t careful...if we don’t purposely endeavor to express thanks...we can easily become complacent, taking our blessings for granted, we can easily stop depending on God, and even begin to grumble even though we’re blessed. That’s what God warned the Israelites about. The 100th Psalm was written for the people of Israel. God said to them in Deuteronomy 8:12-14, “Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, (make sure that when you) build pleasant houses and settle in, (make sure that when you) see your herds and flocks flourish and more an more money come in, (make sure that when you) watch your standard of living going up and up...make sure that you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God.” And that’s exactly what happened...and happens still today.
How many have seen that...It’s easy to cling to God in the desert...and it’s equally easy to forget God when you have plenty. And when you get used to having plenty...it’s really easy to take it for granted...and even begin to grumble. (Anybody enjoy listening to people gripe, complain, and whine?) Neither does God.
So...let’s look at Psalm 100. It’s “The Cure For A Grumbling Heart.”
READ PSALM 100
(1) Stop Shouting At The Hole.
v.1 - “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.”
A grumbling heart and a grateful heart direct their shout at different things.
Start shouting God’s praises! Even when it doesn’t seem like you have reason to praise...praise! Praise makes a grumbling heart begin to crumble.
Shout - it literally means, “shout with the force of a trumpet blast!” In other words...don’t be quiet about it. Get verbal. Show some exuberance! Go public with it! Let others hear! Remember the leper who was healed? He came back, “Praising God in a loud voice!” (Luke 17:15)
Scripture calls for feedback! An “amen!” A “Praise God!”
Notice...it doesn’t say “shout with joy”. What’s it say? It says, “Shout for joy.” Grumblers are joyless. Until you start shouting God’s praises...you’ll stay that way. If you want joy...you must shout for it! You may not even be a grumbler or ungrateful...but I’d challenge you...that until you begin to Shout...until you show some exuberance in your praise...you’re not as joyful as you could be.
Step Number One in Curing a Grumbling Heart...Shout for joy to the Lord! Not so much so others can hear...but so your grumbling heart can hear it...and be filled with joy & praise to God!
(2) Change Your Tune
v.2 - “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.”
Stop singing such a melancholy song. Stop listening to life’s song in a minor key.
You ever been around someone who’s always singing a sad song. A somebody done me wrong song. Poor pitiful me. It not only comes from their spirit...it drags their spirit down...and others with them.
You can’t get rid of a grumbling heart until change your tune.
Worship is about being glad and joyful. You can’t worship and grumble in the same breath. You can’t sing a joyful song to God (or anybody else for that matter) when your heart is ungrateful & grumbling.
The Hebrew word here for “worship” can be translated, “serve.” Worship / Thanksgiving is more than lip-service...it’s about whole service. It’s not just serving / worshipping the Lord...but doing so with a gladness.
Step Number Three in the Cure for A Grumbling Heart...is a sure-fire way to start singing a new tune.
(3) Change Your Perspective (Get the story straight)
v.3 - “Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”
Some folks don’t even know they’ve been blessed.
A change of pace & change of place = a change of perspective.
So many folks live as though they are the source of the blessing they experience. They live as though they are God. They’re consumed with and focused on themselves...And that gives them authority to grumble. But they’re perspective is wrong.
Who is God? (The Lord is God)
Who made you? (He made you) (Nobody is a self-made man) Nothing you have that is any good is a result of you. The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above.” It also says that it is God who gives you the ability to gain wealth. It is God who rains both on the ungodly and the Godly.
Who do you belong to? (We are His)
Who’s the shepherd? (We’re His sheep...that means...He’s our shepherd)
Living life with the right perspective is so liberating! I don’t have to be God. It’s a good thing...because...I can’t pull it off! There is very little I can control...but He controls everything! I don’t have to live life striving...questioning...worrying...discontented. He’s God and I can trust Him. I’m not the shepherd. God is. He is my security. He is my provider. Because He is my shepherd...I shall not want. I don’t have to stress...He gives me rest / peace...making me lie down in green pastures. He keeps me going...leading me beside still waters...restoring my soul! Amen?
When we live life from the perspective that: I am dependent on God. He created even the breath I breathe. Everything I have comes from Him. He knows every hair on my head and every beat of my heart. When life is lived from that perspective...it’s awfully hard to grumble!
(4) Enjoy The Donut
If all you look at is the hole...yeah...nothing to be grateful for. But once you take a bite...life is sweet! You can’t eat a donut and not smile inside and out!
v.4,5 - “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
The donut represents the blessing we already have. The hole represents what we don’t have. “As you go through life, make this your goal...look at the donut and not the hole.” Part of curing a grumbling heart is to enjoy and be thankful for the blessings you already have. Again...to some degree this comes back to the issue of perspective. We’ve had it so good for so long...we’ve grown so accustomed to it...we’ve been standing at the end of the conveyor belt at Krispy Kreme our whole lives...and we’ve taken our blessings for granted. We have so much to be thankful for...and regardless of where we are...regardless of our financial situation...there are at least three things we all enjoy and can be thankful for.
Three reasons to be grateful instead of grumbling.
(1) Give Thanks That God Is Good
Every one of us could quickly come up with a list of reasons for which we could give God thanks. He has been good to all of us. We all have far more than we deserve. Why? Because God is good. He is the sum total...the perfect picture...of all things perfect. He has no defects. Within Him there are no contradictions. He has no handicaps. He is perfectly holy. Nothing can be added to Him or taken away to make God any better than He is. He is excellent to the infinite degree. Not only is He good...but He is the source of all things good. Everything created by God is good. In all things He works for “the good” of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. It is His nature to be kind, generous, merciful, and loving. Jesus said, “No one is good except God.” We should be grateful...first and foremost...not because of what God does...but simply for who He is. God IS good.
(2) Give Thanks Because God’s Love Endures Forever
We live in an upside down world. Words don’t mean what they used to mean. Bad is good. Hot is no longer a temperature...it’s a physical attribute. “Sick” is now a good thing. Used to sing, “Now we dawn our gay apparel.” Now...If you’re son starts dawning “gay” apparel...that’s a problem. Things just don’t mean what they used to...another example is the word “Love.”
The dictionary says love is: “a strong affection or attachment or devotion to a person or persons.”
Love has always had to do with the concept of devotion...today...love has become a synonym for pleasure.
Love used to be focused on another person / people...in many cases today...it’s focus is self-centered.
We commit ourselves in relationships as long as it remains convenient for us...but at the first sign of trouble...once the pleasure is gone...we’re on our way...seeking pleasure (love) somewhere else.
Reminds me of the Pastor who asked the bridegroom, “Do you take this woman to be your wedded wife, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in...” “Please sir,” interrupted the bride, “You’re going to talk him right out of it!”
Today, love seems to be adjustable...defined by a set time...for a specific reason and season. Somewhere along the way...we’ve lost the significance of what LOVE really is. 1 John 4:8 says, “GOD is love.”
The Psalmist said, “His love endures forever.” God’s love isn’t like the weather. It is never uncertain. You never have to guess whether He loves you or not. His love never changes. His love endures...it lasts. It is limitless, bottomless, and has no end.
You’ve got reason to praise! Reason not to grumble! Why? Because God loves you...and His love for you will endure forever. There is nothing you could do to make Him love you more. There is nothing you could ever do to make God love you less.
His love is unconditional, impartial, everlasting, infinite, and perfect!
“Give thanks to Him and praise His name! For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever!”
(3) Give Thanks Because God’s Faithfulness Never Runs Out
Deuteronomy 32:4 describes God as a rock. He is a God you can depend on. He never falters. He never fails.
Numbers 23:19 says, “God will not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says He will do, He does. What He promises, He makes come true!”
Isaiah 25:1 says that God is “perfectly faithful.”
When John describes the coming of Christ in Revelation 19:11, He says, “I saw heaven open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider (Jesus) is called Faithful & True!”
GOD IS FAITHFUL...without end!
Paul even declared in 2 Timothy, “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” Faithful...is who and what He is. He is the epitome of faithfulness.
Because God is faithful...I can depend on His Word.
Because God is faithful...I can resist any temptation.
Because God is faithful...I can face any trial knowing that Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world!
Because God is faithful...My God shall provide all I need according to His riches in glory.
Because God is faithful...He can and will take what I’m going through and use it for His glory!
Because God is faithful...I am more than a conqueror!
Because God is faithful...even though I walk through the shadow of death...through the darkest of hours...HE is with me!
David learned God was faithful when He faced Goliath.
Gideon...when He faced the Midianites.
Paul...when He faced King Agrippa.
Stephen when he faced an angry mob.
To Jeremiah God declared, “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” No wonder Jeremiah would later write, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassion’s never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22)
You have reason to praise! Reason to Celebrate! You can be grateful...because God can be counted on! His faithfulness continues through all generations!
Don’t grumble...Hallelujah Anyhow!...you’ve got too much to be grateful for! “As you go through life, make this your goal...look at the donut and not the hole!”
