It is one of those all to familiar nights when I cannot sleep. You know the ones where you look at the clock over and over again to see what time it is now. So, I have grabbed the caffeine and I will make good use of these early hours by writing what has been on my heart.

I have been thinking about how dissatisfied so many of us  Christians are today. I find myself searching and asking why? Is it because life often crowds in and saps the strength we need for the truly important things? Is it we are veering our eyes off of the Lord and placing them on people, things or our present circumstances? I believe we all can say YES to both of those questions.

I hear so much complaining these days and yes I am guilty of it also. Why, when we serve a risen Savior who willingly took our place so that we could have everlasting life. If we never received another blessing from above that would be enough. It was the  priceless perfect gift.

I think of the Israelites in the dessert and how the Bible tells us over and over the complaining they did. The Lord burned with anger against them on many occasions. I think of the occasion when some of the people were grumbling against Moses. The Lord told Moses to call them all together for a meeting. The grumbling people showed up. The Lord opened up the earth and swallowed them up and the meeting was adjourned . End of story.  The plagues, the biting snakes that killed many. All were sent because of the act of complaining and being dissatisfied.

This act of complaining is a stronghold and it is a mighty stronghold. Thankfully, we serve a God who is ruler over ALL ~ We do not need more to be thankful. We need to be thankful MORE. The job or the co-worker that we would like to bop upside the head. Think about how many would love to have the job you have that cannot seem to catch a break. The children who are being disrespectful and crying and fighting and getting on that last nerve, think about how many single Mothers would love to be staying at home with their beloved child.

Sometimes, we just don’t have the strength we need to fulfill God’s purpose in us. We find it difficult to serve, to use our spiritual gifts or to even realize the dream and the purpose that God gave us. BUT GOD…. Those two words are powerful. They throw a curve ball in every circumstance, BUT GOD, if we ask for HIS strength , he will give it to us. His strength fills us with life to complete the things that HE alone wants us to do. It also opens our eyes to the wonder of it all. It brings us back to the basics of this life that HE created.  The basics being everything is created for His glory and His purpose. When we open our eyes to the wonder that God gave us the spiritual and  material blessings to bless others, it changes our perspective. We start being focused on the eternal and not earthly focused.  This past Sunday at church we were given a great quote by C. S. Lewis, “Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’, aim at Earth and you will get neither.” Powerful.

Being more Christ like is a process. It is daily being on the potter’s wheel and being molded by His righteous hands. He strips away the imperfections in each one of us. Each day he is molding  us to be more like our redeeming Savior. Sometimes the potter’s wheel keeps spinning and spinning. It keeps working on that one area that is just not quite right. In the end, it is truly a one of a kind masterpiece.

When we start to feel the discontent rising in us. Before it ever comes out of our mouth , if we will stop, wait a minute, pause and pray, the Lord will answer us and will encourage us and will give us the strength we need according to Psalms 138:3.

Take to heart that we are created in the image of God. He works through our gifts and talents to show the world how much he loves them. IF, we let him, He will do amazing things in us. Pray for the strength to break the stronghold of complaining. It is a joy robber. I want to be a joy giver.  As Joyce Meyer’s says, Complain and Remain or Praise and Raise. The Joy of the Lord is our strength.  With God’s help we will do mighty things. Psalms 60:12.

Lord, I come before you this morning. I am so thankful that this is the day that you have made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. Lord, we know that we enter your gates with a heart of  thanksgiving and into your courts with praise . We want your presence . We seek your face.  Lord, give us your strength to have a  heart filled with thanksgiving and not a  heart of discontentment. Father, open our eyes to the beauty around us. Open our eyes to the work that you are doing each and every day. Each day from you is a gift, may we untie the ribbons and open it with a spirit filled with excitement for the new day is dawning.   Forgive us of our complaining. Forgive us for the times we have taking our eyes off of you. You are the potter and we are the clay. Your ways are best so we willingly come to the potter’s wheel.  Thank you for you endless grace and mercy. Thank you for your everlasting patience. I cannot seem to fathom it but I am so thankful for it. Thank you for the work that you are doing in each one of us. May each day we give you ALL the praise and the glory and the honor.  In Jesus name, I pray these things, the name above ALL names.