Jesustrek

“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.”—Acts 6:1.

God’s people have always tended to be complainers. From the grumbling Israelites to the complainers in the first century church to the gripers of today, we are continually susceptible to being distracted from our mission.

The church in Acts did have a major concern—some widows were being neglected, and something needed to be done about it. I’m not sure that a lot of today’s issues are quite that important. If you were to write the history of many churches, it might read something like this:

“The deacons complained against the elders about who had the right to make the most important decisions in the church.”

“The cold-natured people complained against the hot-natured people over who controlled the thermostat.”

“The moms who worked outside the home complained against the stay-at-home moms about the Vacation Bible School schedule.”

“One generation complained against another generation about the selection of songs for last Sunday’s worship service.”

“The upper-middle class complained against the lower class about the way they dressed for church.”

The list could go on and on.

What’s your issue? Is it about someone else’s legitimate need, or about your own selfish desires? If your concern doesn’t have something to do about feeding the poor, or some other important matter, chances are God doesn’t want to hear it.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing.”—Philippians 2:14.