Devotional: Don't Complain... Testify!

Don't Complain... Testify!

Don't complain. Testify!

In the Apostle Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, we see this admonishment. In his opening, he begins by praising God for being the Father of all mercy and comfort. He reminds the Corinthian church that God comforts us so that we may in turn comfort others. Hard times and hardships are unavoidable in life, but as Christians we have consolation in Christ.

This is something I have endeavored to remember in my ministry. If those who meet me now never hear of my past trials, they may innocently assume I have had an easy life. But if I am open to share the things God has help me overcome, then it is evident to others of His grace and provision in my life. This encourages those who are currently in the middle of a storm. When people hear testimonies of God's divine deliverance in the life of another, hope and trust are birthed in hearts which were once teetering on hopelessness.

Paul shared this testimony: "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life" (2 Corinthians 1:8). This sentence, standing alone, sounds like a complaint. If we knew nothing else, we might get the impression Paul was discontented and resentful. That's what a complaint is - an expression of grief, ailment or faultfinding. Unfortunately, many Christians sound like they are complaining.

Sometimes it almost seems like a competition. Who has had the worst? Who had to overcome the most? One says, "I caught a cold this weekend." Another says, "That's nothing. I had the chills and ran fever with the flu all last week." It's silly but true, isn't it? People act like there's a prize or some great honor for having the worst condition. I can give some slack to non-believers over this because they have not victory in this life. But Christians? Come on, what's with all the complaining?

Fortunately, the Apostle Paul was far from moaning and whining. Actually, this was his testimony: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1:3-10).

Paul wanted them to know what they had endured in Asia, but not to complain -- he wanted to testify! God delivered them from sure death and in the process showed them how to trust Him in hard times. Paul said, "We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God" (New Living Translation). Isn't that what it's about? When we opened ourselves to God and allowed the Spirit of His Son to make our hearts His home, we gave up ownership. The life of a Christian now revolves around surrender and trust in the One who loved us and gave His life for us!
When we complain, there's no trust. When we only see the negative, where's our witness? But IF when we endure trials and tribulations and our trust is in the One who delivers, there's no room for complaining because there's we've got a TESTIMONY!

"All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too. When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see that you're just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you're going to make it, no doubt about it. We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And He did it, rescued us from certain doom. And He'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing" (2 Corinthians 1:3-10, Message). Hallelujah! That's my God and your God!

So no more complaining! Look for the testimony! He is able, faithful, strong, mighty, awesome, reliable, unwavering, unbeatable, powerful, and trustworthy.