What Are You Teaching? Make Praise A Habit!

WHAT ARE WE TEACHING BY EXAMPLE? MAKE PRAISE A HABIT?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (Two part lesson, or just do part of it?)

TEXT:

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

Be honest? Do you love life? Do you love what you are doing?

I READ MANY PEOPLE ARE SPENDING MORE MONEY THAN THEY EARN TO BUY THINGS THEY DON’T NEED TO IMPRESS PEOPLE THEY DON’T LIKE… We try to change other people’s habits, minds and actions with words. WORDS FALL SHOORT OF THE MARK OF REAL CHANGE.

GOD GAVE DAILY PROVISIONS FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL… 40 years of free food. It tasted good and had all the nutrients for the human body needs

THERE WAS A TEST TO RECEIVE THE MANNA. God’s directions were very clear: only gather one homer of manna a daily. No less, no more. The day before the Sabbath each household was to gather two homers per person. Seems some people refuse to follow the directions God gave. If God freely gave the manna, then God has the right to define how much they should gather.

Wouldn’t you know there are stubborn, rebellious people that demand to do things their way? Life is not like a Whooper and have it your way. Every disobedient family found worms wiggling in their gathering excessive amounts, stinky worms.

OFTEN WE FIND PEOPLE HABITUALLY SEEM TO LOVE TO COMPLAIN. THERE ARE BIBLICAL RECORDS THAT SPEAK OF 14 MAJOR COMPLAINTS THAT ISRAEL MADE AGAINST MOSES AND GOD IN THE 40 YEARS OF THE DESSERT…

The children of Israel were thankful for the manna at first. They praise God for the daily food provisions. How quickly can things go downhill? They were thankful and grateful for the free food. It tasted good and provided all the nutrients that the human body needed. The manna tasted good. But soon the thankfulness wears away and the people expected the manna. Then comes the complaining and complaining before the norm. COMPLAIMING IS CONTAGEOUS AND INFECTOUS.

Exodus 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

HOW QUICK CAN PRAISE AND SINGING TURN INTO COMPLAINING? GRATEFUL HEARTS MELT AWAY…

Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

ONCE COMPLAINING, GRIPPING, DIS-SATISFACTION AND MURMURRING STARTS IT BECOME HABITUAL.

There grows a focal point of murmuring… Those called of God and trying to do God’s work come under a vicious attack. Rebellion takes root and speaks through the mouth. The attack is justified by backslidden, cold, indifferent, unthankful people.

Exodus 16:2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: 3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

WHAT A SICK ATTITUDE WHEN THE COMPLAINING TURNS TO THE ATTIITUDE, JUST WISH WE WOULD DIE?

So god has a plan to try to please the people. God promises: in the morning you shall see God’s hand at work. Because God HEARS YOUR MURMURS AGAINST MOSES AND AGAINST GOD! DO YOU THINK THIS WILL MAKE THE MURMURING PEOPLE HAPPY?

Exodus 16:6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: 7 And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?

God loves his people. But their negativity will soon anger God.

Exodus 16:8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.

Exodus 16:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. 13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.