I am enjoying the title to this post!! It says verse 14 and 15 in a nutshell! 
...all zipped up!!
...all zipped up!!New International Version:
13.) ..."for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. 14.) Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15.) so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.."
Verse 13 follows VERSE 12
which said that we are to
work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Verse 13 says that it is GOD that works in us
(not ourselves working it out) to bring
out our full potential, our purpose.
How can we fulfill our purpose in life by our
own works, when we did not make us and
we do not know what the original intention for us
was???
Just like when we make a cake...
we KNOW what kind of cake
a birthday cake,
a cake to take to a new neighbor,
a chocolate mayonnaise cake to a chocolate lover,
(See my mom's recipe for chocolate mayonnaise cake at my "P. S." below)
a cake to take to a potluck that everyone is asking for,
(anyone out there read Jan Karon's books and know about
the orange marmalade cake?)
a wedding cake...you get the picture.
God has an original purpose for our lives.
A plan He had BEFORE we were born!!
Mindboggling.
(Psalm 139:16)
Sometimes we use our "cake" for other purposes than what it was intended for.
It would be like taking a wedding cake to someone's birthday party.
Or a birthday cake to a funeral dinner!!
How do we prevent that?
Read the recipe from the MAKER of the
recipe! The Bible will guide your footsteps and sitting in God's
Presence and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you,
will allow you to use your
"cake" for the right purpose and in the right place.
Verses 14...Now we come to our 2nd out of 3 life principles from
verses 12-15 that all truly appreciative Christians should embrace:
(The #1 was "work out their ((your)) salvation with fear and trembling".
See last post.)
#2 ~ "Without grumbling or complaining".....
Ouch, double ouch....
Our most vivid example in the Bible are the Israelites
in the Old Testament, who mumbled and grumbled
after God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt.
Numbers 14:28 "So tell them, 'As sure as I live, declares
the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.'"
In verse 22 of the same chapter, the Lord says that they
had disobeyed Him 10 times!!
This is the part where He banishes them to walk in the
wilderness for 40 years...40 years ~ one year for each
day they explored the Land of Canaan and came back
with a murmuring and grumbling report!! (same chapter, verse 34)
What this says to me is be careful what you complain about!!
God may just say, after His mercy and grace has been depleted,
"Ok...if that is how you feel, then that is what you will get!"
Z.O.W.E.E.
They did not like the new wonderful place God had miraculously
brought them too...welllll Okkkk then...they would not get to enjoy it!!
Yikes.
EXCEPT for the ones that did NOT murmur and grumble ~ Caleb and
Joshua and the people who were under 20 years old.
A quote from Mark Adams' article "Whine or Shine" ~
found on the commentary website at www.preceptaustin.org ~
(I have a link for it now on my sidebar.)
"Negativism steals joy...the joy that our world so desperately needs and it also spreads...and grows like a snow ball rolling down a hill."
Ahhhh....there is that word again...JOY...
Check yourself this week and see how many times you catch yourself
murmuring or grumbling.
When you do, and you will, STOP and find something...anything...
to thank the Lord for. Even if it is your next breath.
Disclaimer: You have to, at times, protect yourself and stand up and
tell the truth in love, Ephesians 4:15. The type of complaining in verse 14 is a
constant undertow of murmuring and "harping" about the same thing
ad nauseam. There is a big difference!
We will talk about verse 15 next week!!
Until next week,
Debbie G.
P. S. My Mom's Recipe For "Salad Dressing Cake"
or a.k.a "Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake"...
1 C. Sugar, 4 Tablespoons Cocoa, 2 C. Flour, 1 C. Miracle Whip, 1 C. Warm Water, 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda, 1 Teaspoons vanilla. Sift the sugar, flour, cocoa together. Mix the salad dressing, warm water, in which the soda has been dissolved, together. Combine ingredients, add vanilla. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. If you are making this into cupcakes, it will make 30-32.
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