Always...really?

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. (Philippians 2:14-16 NLT)

Do everything - not some things, or just the things that feel good, but all things. Without complaining or arguing - now scripture has gone to meddling, hasn't it? We might be able to say we are willing to do some things without complaint, but ALL things? The more we complain, the less we invest. The more we argue, the further from the point we find ourselves. No wonder God asks us to do ALL things without complaint or argument!

If we want to shine like bright lights in a very dark world, we need to put aside our need to always be right, always be in control, and always be heard. Sometimes we just need to 'be' and then step back to see what God will do with that kind of testimony. Complaining gets us nowhere - arguing drives us apart. The more we engage in either behavior, we damage the image of Christ the world should be seeing through us. The loudest testimony isn't always the spoken one - it is the one that is viewed by others based how we behave.

This world has enough 'loud voices' right now. What it needs more than anything is a living, breathing testimony of grace and love. Living clean and innocent lives isn't all that easy in a corrupt and vile world, is it? Yet that is the calling upon our lives. We are to live in such a manner that any criticism about the way we are behaving will not 'stick' because there will be no basis for the criticism. We aren't going to 'convert' the crooked and perverse of this world. That is the job of someone much bigger and stronger than us - Jesus.

All we can do is live as dynamic, upright examples of his love and grace. We won't always feel like our 'voices' are being heard, but our lives are being observed. The choice we make to live obedient lives is the most important one we can make each day. The 'always' may seem a bit impossible but remember that Christ lives and breathes in the area of impossible! Just sayin!