Take Inventory

"Take Inventory" Psalm 117 Pastor Ted Weis Little River Congregational Church June 13, 2021 As your pastor over the last 25 years, I've had the joy of watching your children and grandchildren get married. I've also had the privilege of officiating many of these ceremonies. Now, it's happening to me-this Saturday, my daughter is getting married. While I knew that weddings cost money, I now know this fact personally! When the first wedding expense came due, my thought was, "Hmmm, weddings cost money. But, if there's anything worth spending money on, it's a wedding." When the next bill came in, I thought, "Ouch. That was more than I thought. But OK." Lately, my attitude has turned into this: "Are you kidding? It costs that much?!" Over the last few weeks, I've received good advice from fathers of the bride-"Keep your mouth closed. And open up your wallet." But my gut reaction has been to complain. All of us have a natural tendency to complain. What was your last complaint? Maybe something like, "Why don't they call me more often?" "Why aren't they more considerate toward me?" "Why are they taking so long? " Many times, our complaints are legitimate. There really is a problem. But, whining has a downside. We become Oscar the Grouch. Left unchecked, whining becomes a virus that makes us ill. We think the world revolves around us. We turn into people who are not pleasant. We're not happy. Why should we fight that whining spirit? What attitude should we replace it with? In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul says, "If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation." Steven Lawson observes that, "The new birth gives us a new mind, a new heart, new desires, new affections, new loves, new life, and a new destiny. All things are made new." As believers in Jesus Christ then, we are called to become what we are. The way the Spirit of God makes us new is through the practice of spiritual disciplines. For example, we gather together for worship. We read the Bible and have private devotions. We set aside time to pray. Here in Psalm 117, the shortest of the 150 Psalms, we have before us one simple, yet powerful spiritual discipline that will shape our soul, make us new, and fight the spirit of complaining. Praise the Lord (1) Notice how God is described-he is the Lord-he is sovereign and over all This exhortation is made toward all people Imagine a world where everyone praises the one true and living God In imagining that, can you see how few actually do?! Why should we praise the Lord? Two reasons are given-together they express one big idea Because God's love is like Gorilla Glue (2) One time when I was using Gorilla Glue, it got stuck on my fingers and I had trouble pulling it off Great is his steadfast love toward us (2a) Notice-the steadfast love of God toward is great Even when we're feeling moments of aggravation, God's love is present and active When you're whining, that's a moment when God wants to teach you, mold you The faithfulness of the Lord endures forever (2b) Notice-God's faithfulness endures forever Again, even in our moments of heartache, God is faithfully working out his plan God always gets the last word-he will redeem us and fix this broken world So, in those moments when you find yourself whining, stop, and take inventory of God's blessings! Think about who God is. Think about what God has done for us in Jesus. Meditate on what God has done in your life. The reason Jesus Christ went to the cross, died for our sins, and rose from the dead for our forgiveness and new life is because of love. John 3:16 tells us it all because, "God so loved the world..." Imagine how our mindset would change if we simply stopped what we were doing and took a moment to take inventory of God's blessing. Write them down. Share them with others. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.