LIGHTHOUSE DAILY DEVOTION
(Sent daily except Sunday)
(Some of the Devotions are original, some are adapted)
October 30, 2019
MURMURERS AND FALSE CRITICS
Acts 25:7 – “And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.”
Some people are always complaining. They murmur about every circumstance that doesn’t meet their fancy. Finally, if they can’t discover anything of substance to grumble about, they manufacture some supposed misconduct in others so they can satisfy their craving to find fault. Many of these malcontents love to attack and criticize God’s saints, even when they have no proof.
Constructive criticism is always in order if it is to be done lovingly and privately, but expressing dissatisfaction in an unkind and cantankerous way grieves the heart of God. Moses made this clear to the children of Israel when they maligned him and his brother Aaron, saying “Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord” (Ex. 16:8). The apostle Paul, who faithfully walked in the steps of the Lord, could not say without fear of misleading anyone, ”Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1). Still he was cruelly attacked by malicious critics who could not substantiate their complaints.
I smiled recently when I saw in a local newspaper a small boxed off section containing these sarcastic comments from an irritated editor: “If you find errors in this publication please consider that they are there for a purpose. We publish something for everyone, and some are always looking for mistakes!”
Are we guilty of the sin of murmuring or voicing false or unkind comments about others? Then we must ask God to forgive us and to sweeten our dispositions by His grace, and to help us control our faultfinding tongues; for to belittle others it to be little!
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Wit and Wisdom – Some people seem to find their greatest joy in life just standing at the complaint counter.
Point to Ponder – Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
