A pastor said that slaves grumble and complain, but we Christians may forget we are free and thus fall into the same grumbling and complaining. I had never thought of a slave-mindset causing grumbling and complaining! I had only heard about an attitude of entitlement causing people to grumble if they didn’t receive more than they deserved. Let’s examine Scripture and see why that pastor correctly identified this hidden reason why some people grumble.
First, let’s examine the obvious reason why people complain: entitlement. When we believe we deserve more than we receive, we grumble. But if we truly deserve something and someone withholds it, then we have a reason to ask for that item. For example, if an employer withholds wages, the employee can legally sue that employer and receive those wages. A small child can expect her mother and father to hold her when she is sad, and if the parents withhold this need, the child has a right to cry and ask for it. This is righteous entitlement, a sense God gives to people so they ask for their basic needs.
With unrighteous entitlement, people believe they deserve something that is not rightfully theirs. Violent squatters got into a house across the street from us. The owner had to legally fight, to get these cruel people out. The squatters complained and fought her as if they had legal rights to be in a home they were not invited to enter. Other people steal and then complain that those who have more money than them don’t deserve to have it. In relationships, some people complain when others don’t read their minds or listen to them as they drone on without listening to the other person. These are examples of unrighteous entitlement.
But the slave mentality can also cause us to complain, if we do not know we are redeemed in Christ. Even if a woman is a Christian, if she does not recognize her highly elevated status in Christ, she can fall into complaining, not knowing she has all her needs met in Christ. She does not know how to access all those blessings from God, so she complains as if they were not hers.
Let’s compare the lie of being a slave with the truth we have in Christ. In 1 Cor.7:23, Paul warns us, “You were bought at a great price, so do not become slaves to human beings.” A slave has to please others to the point of harming herself. But Jesus paid the price for us, and he suffered at his own expense so we would not be damned to Hell. We might complain that we have so little, when the Lord has given us so much. While a slave owns nothing, Ephs.3:8b reassures we have “the unfathomable riches in Christ.”
A slave has no freedom, no choices, but John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” We do not have to do whatever our critics demand, lest they withhold their love or approval of us. We have the love and approval of Christ when we walk with him. Romans 3:21-22, “Now, the way to receive God’s approval has been made plain in a way other than Moses’ teachings. Moses’ teachings and the prophets tell us this way. Everyone who believes has God’s approval through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no difference between people.”
A slave gets bossed around, but God gives us free will (1 Cor. 13:8, “Love doesn’t force itself on others; it isn’t always me first.”) Others may have lorded-over you and bossed you around. Christ does not want you to believe you deserve that. In Gals.7:8-9 Paul urges this, “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Paul pushes this point in verse 17, “Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them.” You are not a slave to sin or to others. The Lord does not want us to be slaves to anyone, but we must recognize when we begin to fall into believing we are slaves and then complaining about our circumstances.
We might complain that others do not respect us, because our critics look down on us, as if we were their slaves. But they are wrong, because we are not their slaves, and we are not even a slave of God anymore, but also his friends, (John 15:15, “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”) As Christ’s friends, we are adored, held in high esteem, cherished, (Isaiah 66:2 “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” And Luke 12:7 “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”)
Unlike a slave who has no rights, we have so many rights and so much dignity in Christ. We can soar high like an eagle, unlike the slave who must remain lowly (Isaiah 40:31a, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.”) You can pursue dreams that differ from what your detractors want for you. God decides how you live, and it is a good life (Jer.29:11 “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”) A slave has a bad, unsafe life, and can be killed by her pagan “owners” (really kidnappers.) We are the Lord’s joy. The slave has no one to delight in her, and no one to protect her when she feels unsafe. What a joy to be the Lord’s daughter and not a slave.
Even regarding physical pain, the Lord has answers for us. If we feel pain, God reassures us he cares, unlike the slave owner who could not care less about his slave. God wants to comfort us, and although he may not heal us as quickly as we would like, he will comfort us emotionally and spiritually. At the least, we know we will be healed in heaven. So if you feel tempted to complain about physical pain, instead cry out to the Lord, and also share your concerns with a loving friend. She can also offer you emotional comfort, while you work (either on your own or with a doctor) to find healing for the physical ailment.
In all matters, you are never a bother to the Lord, and you are not a slave. You can call out to him when you want to complain. He wants to comfort you, and he will provide for you, even if it is not exactly the provision you wanted; it will be what you need. You don’t need to live a life of complaining and grumbling as if you did not have a heavenly Father who adores you. You are free as his daughter, not a slave to grumbling.
So next time you feel tempted to complain, please remember you are not a slave. You have everything you need, in Christ. Recognize the lie that has tricked you into complaining, and instead remember all you have. Thanks for joining us in this week’s post. I pray we have blessed you, and I welcome your ideas, so please share them with me.