𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳!

𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 5:9 𝘕𝘐𝘝

And yet again, the Apostle James serves up a gut punch:

Don’t grumble against each other.

If you do grumble, you will face judgement.

And by the way, the Judge is right behind that door and is ready to hold you accountable.

This is another one of those times that God’s Word is unapologetically designed to make believers uncomfortable. God is holy and He wants to make us holy. Grumbling and holiness do not mix. So, if we are going to excel in holiness we need to expel grumbling.

I have to admit there are times it feels good to grumble against others. There is something in my flesh which delights in my ability to throw someone else under the bus. My self-righteousness is fed when I can play the victim, when I incessantly point out someone else’s faults. I feel a little bit better about myself when I put someone else down. I get a certain pleasure when I mumble a snide comment under my breath.

This is sin.

Let me say it again. This. Is. Sin.

And it has no room in my soul if I am truly pursuing holiness. If I want to be holy, then grumbling has to be captured, contained, chained and cast away. There’s really no question about it. The Judge is watching my every move. He is a gracious Judge, but He still is a Judge. We are going to have to give an account for every grumble and mumble that we do not confess and surrender to Him.

Have you been grumbling against someone? Who? Why? Are you better than they are? Would you be willing to stand in front of Jesus and explain to Him why you are better than this sister or brother who has offended you? If someone brought you into court charging you with the crime of grumbling, what would your defense be in front of a wholly holy Judge? What could you do to stop your grumbling? Do you believe that God could help you stop your grumbling? Do you believe the power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to bring legitimate change in the way you see others? Will you let Him help you? Now?