[Biblemat] A> Christians and Curmudgeons

[Steven C. Harper]

From: TRUTH & REASON, a bulletin of the Glendale church of Christ, Glendale, AZ. 
Editor: Steven Harper 
May 6, 2007

Christians and Curmudgeons

 

     The Scriptures plainly show that, of all people, Christians should be the happiest people on earth. That is not to say that we will never have any reason to be sad or discouraged, but that even in the most difficult times we have reasons to rejoice. Paul said we should "Rejoice in the Lord always" (Phlp. 4:4) and even rejoiced himself as he suffered for the sake of Christ (Col. 1:24). James urged the brethren to "Count it all joy.when you meet trials of various kinds" (Jas. 1:2) and Peter further added that we should "not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed" (1 Pet. 4:12, 13). When we consider the violent and oppressive governments under which they lived, we may sometimes wonder how they could expect the oppressed and the victims of such violence to rejoice, or we may wonder how they did it!

     But the record plainly shows that the early Christians followed suit, rejoicing that they had suffered for Christ's sake (Acts 5:41) and in the midst of trials (1 Pet. 1:6-8). They had a clear view of the hope of heaven and they were able to face trials and persecutions and hardships because they could see beyond the "here and now" to eternity and to heaven. They were able to live with joy because they had joy in their hearts! They didn't walk around with a dour expression on their face and grouse about how terrible the world was getting, but rejoiced for what they had been given in Christ and for what awaited them when they completed their earthly life.

     Anyone who has been a Christian for even the shortest amount of time probably knows already of the many reasons we should rejoice and live as joyful people, but I am afraid many - too many - disciples live more like curmudgeons than Christians! Some brothers and sisters in Christ seem to revel in being miserable and seem to expect others to wallow in their misery, too. And if they see other Christians who are - GASP! - happy, well, something must be wrong with them or they've "gone liberal" or some other negative contrivance of the mind. They have become so accustomed to complaining and wallowing in their daily misery that they simply cannot comprehend a brother or sister who is happy and who actually enjoys living!

     Those who live with this mind set are often ones who have a negative view of just about anyone they meet, whether they are believers or unbelievers, and seem to spend their lives searching for the faults in others just to make themselves feel better as they wallow in their misery. It's a sort of "If I'm miserable, then no one else should be happy" kind of attitude. There is no joy in their lives because there is no joy in their hearts!

     Which gets us to the heart of the discussion; Why do some professing Christians act more like curmudgeons than ones who have the hope of eternal life? It is bothersome to me to see and hear fellow Christians spend so much time in idle gossip and endless efforts to impugn the motives or sabotage the reputations of their own brothers and sisters in Christ. I find it very troublesome to see those who should be my exhorters and edifiers who are so miserable in their own lives that they feel justified in trying to make others just as miserable as they are! Some seem to be looking for something to complain about and should they fail in that, they will invent some matter of wrongdoing or slight against them and, in their own minds, that is justification enough for them to begin making false [or, at best, unsupported] accusations whose sole intent is to ruin someone else's life just so they can be happy in their own misery.

     If you happen to be one of those curmudgeonly people, I would like you to take a minute and consider the following points as a reminder of who you are and how you are supposed to act. Maybe you will read something that might inspire you to seek to put joy into your own life and to get rid of the bad attitudes that keep you from rejoicing. Please take the time to read these, even if you think I don't know what I'm talking about or if you have already marked me off as unworthy of your time. If you find that I am totally off-base and really don't know what I'm talking about and I have completely misused Scripture, then do me a favor and tell me. Don't just continue to wallow in your self-righteousness and mark me off; take a minute to express your concern for my soul, because I am concerned for yours.

     Remember You Are A Child of God. I believe John said it best when he simply wrote, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1). Instead of having a bad attitude about the world and thinking about how miserable you are, try meditating on the supreme blessing of being able to be called God's child! Remember that though you were once called His enemy (Rom. 5:10), now you have been adopted into the household of God and you are a fellow heir with Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:19; Rom. 8:16, 17)! If you think about who you once were and who you have become, shouldn't that give you a reason enough to rejoice?

     And if you are one who is quick to look down upon the lost simply because they have not yet obeyed, remember that they are now where you once were. Weren't you happy that someone told you the gospel story? Shouldn't you be teaching the lost so they do not remain lost, instead of criticizing and condemning them in your mind? Give them a reason to be happy!

     Remember You Have Been Forgiven. Outside of Christ, we were all helpless to overcome our sins and to be free of its stain (Rom. 5:6). Outside of Christ, we had "no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12) - not a good description, to be sure! But now - think about this: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1)! Remember that we have "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7). When we think about the very idea of being forgiven for all the sins we have committed against God and the fact we clearly did not deserve forgiveness and a total "wiping away" [as if they never happened], isn't that a reason to rejoice?

     And instead of being quick to mentally note the faults of others, why not take some time to do a self-examination (cf. Matt. 7:1-5) to make sure you do not have some sort of sin in your own life [like unjust judgment, acting without mercy, etc.] and examine yourself regularly (2 Cor. 13:5) instead of diligently examining the lives of others under a microscope. Give someone else the benefit of the doubt and give them the gospel so they, too, can be forgiven!

     Remember You Have That Hope of Eternal Life. For all who are in Christ, the one great thing to which we look forward is the hope of eternal life in heaven with God and Christ and the rest of the believers. John reminds us that our great promise is eternal life in heaven (1 John 2:25). Let us live as faithful Christians who constantly remember that the great gift of God is "eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23; 1 John 5:11). When we think about that and when we try to imagine what that will be like, isn't that reason enough to rejoice?

     And when you think about the joy of eternal life in heaven, can you really rejoice in that thought without thinking about someone you know who does not have that hope? What will you do about it? Will you just shake your head at their unbelief, or will you try to get them to come with you to heaven?

     Whoever you are, please know that these reasons [along with many others] should cause us to rejoice. We are Christians, not curmudgeons!                                                 -- Steven Harper
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20070505/04041fa4/attachment-0001.html