I'm Turning My Complaints Into Thanks - 1 Thess. 5:18

Introduction

It is often said and has been deemed true that it is within our human nature to complain. According to some, we complain when we experience a significant gap between our expectation and our reality. I was on the phone with someone just this week and she shared that her pastor needed the front row for something on Sunday’s and was asking her to switch her seat. As a result she called to complain to this individual and even said she would move her membership as a result of simply being asked to move her seat. I have left out names to protect the innocent and the guilty. But the expectation was that she could continue to sit in the seat she’s been sitting in for years. Her reality is now challenging her expectation since she has been asked to move and now she’s ready to find another church.

I’ve been out with some folk at a restaurant who ordered a steak well done and when it didn’t come back well done they flip out on the waiter because their expectation was not their reality. There are times when things don’t go how we wanted them to go, there are times when God will pluck a precious flower out of our lives to be with Him in Glory, times where people we loved gave our hearts to betrayed us - we expected them to love us, be with us forever but that expectation was not our reality. Many times when our expectation is not our reality we are quick to pick up the phone to complain or vent to someone…

And we are careful who we call because we don’t want to call the person who is going to challenge our perception of events or give us advice to get over it and move on… No, no, no… many of us will pick up the phone, do a drive by someone’s house, post a rant on social media seeking sympathy and validation.

That is because it is our nature to complain. In the Old Testament, God brought the Israelites out of 400-years of slavery. They wandered in the wilderness for 40-years where God provided them quail and manna to eat. Brought them through the Red Sea causing their enemies to perish. Fought their battles and gave them the victory. And still somebody said “Moses, have your brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?”

And this is probably because as is true today, sometimes our attitude toward God is what have you done for me lately? And we don’t always look at simple things like breath in your body, the activities of your limbs, being clothed in your mind as things God has done for us lately. Because somewhere along the way we thought that we became entitled to all of those things. So we look at those things as micro. So when God doesn’t do something in our lives on what we perceive to be a macro scale - we have a what have you done for me lately mentality and we are prone to complain.

Body

But can I take a pause for the cause to give you a newsflash? God doesn’t owe us nothing and we owe Him everything. And my mind must constantly be predicated on the fact that since God provided for me once - He’ll do it over and over. Because if He did it before, you’ve got to remember He’ll do it again. And truth be told if God doesn’t do anything else for us He’s already done enough.

As we move into our text we are admonished in everything to give thanks. And this means that my thanksgiving is not circumstantial but it is existential. That means that my thanks to God is not based on the current predicament of my situation or my attitude about my situation. My thanks to God is based on the mere fact that the only reason I exists is to give Him praise. And so if I live a life of constant complaining then that means I am not fulfilling my purpose - since I exists to give Him thanks and praise.

And sometimes we just need to be reminded that in a world seeking all kinds of material possessions, accolades of men, and just constantly has to have more and more and more. I can live in a state of thanksgiving when I am upset, when things don’t go my way and in the face of adversity because I recognize I wasn’t created for none of that material stuff that will one day fade away. I was created to perpetually find ways everyday through out the years of my life to bring God some glory!

Some suggests that there are three types of complainers

There are chronic complainers. And chronic complainers are complainers who never ever seem to be satisfied and something is always wrong. If something is not wrong then they are looking for something to be wrong to give them something to complain about. They dwell in a constant state of negativity. Chronic complainers are not seeking to make things better neither are they looking for any advice. They are what I like to call mess pedalers. People who always got to keep some mess going. Chronic complainers are spiritual enough to recognize the grace of God they have received in their lives but cannot extend that same grace to others.

Then there are venters who I mentioned earlier. Venters will call folks just to look for validation and sympathy about something that made them mad. They are not looking for advice or a solution to the problem. More often than not, some venters will even have a skewed view of the issue at hand because they are more concerned about venting then getting to the root of the problem. Venters are the ones when someone tells them they need to pray about what’s troubling them - they won’t pray. They just want to vent - talk about whats annoying them void of any solution or advice. Watch how short a venter becomes when you start trying to give advice or provide some means to a solution. They’ll get off the phone with you in a minute and proceed to call someone else.

Then there are instrumental complainers. If you have to complain in life you want to be an instrumental complainer. If you see your spouse is spending all the money in the bank instrumental complaining doesn’t just complain without seeking to make some positive impact and come up with a solution. Instrumental complaining will focus on the impact of your spouses bad spending habits on the families finances, the importance of making a change, and to create a plan to make changes.

Many times our complaints are external toward others. But if we could start complaining more internally the world would be a much better place. In fact those of us who came to Jesus came with some honest and upfront complaints about ourselves. Some of us said when we came to Jesus we said Lord I’m tired of the way I am. That was instrumental complaining. I recognized I was dying and on my way to hell and in need of the Savior.

Mt Sinai I’m on my way to my seat. But before I go, I’ve got to let you know I’ve been your pastor for a little over a month. And I’m grateful that God saw fit to bring you and I together. But I’ve got to let you know I’m establishing a precedent from this day forward. I love to counsel and listen whenever you want to come by my office or call me on the phone. But if you’re calling to complain about something know that before we leave the meeting or before we get off the phone… I’m going to lead us to the word of God and then we’re going to the throne of God in prayer. And whatever the problem is, we’re not leaving without a solution. Before I take my seat let me give you a solution for complaining.

You’ve got to do a little self introspection. Words we need to use more often in church. I want you to take note of your behavior and how many times you complain in a day. And don’t you be insulted that I’m assuming you complain.. we all do. And every time your mind moves you to complain about something start thanking Him instead. Some of us were complaining on the way to church this morning. If you’re like me you get stuck everyday at a light on Airport Blvd that seems like it’s waiting for Jesus to come back to let me through. But this morning in light of this message I changed my mind and said Lord I thank you that while I was sitting here nobody rear ended me. Lord I thank you that since I’m still sitting at this light - that accident I drove by could’ve been, should’ve been, would’ve been me but you held me at the light so it wasn’t me. Lord I’d like to thank you that I left my house and made it this far to the light without calamity. And Lord I thank you that you will carry me safely to my destination when I get through the light.

With gas prices rising some of us complain about paying for gas. During the beginning of the pandemic I was filling up for 25-28 dollars and now it’s between 45 and 48. But God I thank you that you continue to supply the money for me to gas up the pacer. I’m suggesting a complaining cleanse. You know just like when you’re ready to flush your body out to clear out all of the toxins from all of this good Mobile Soul Food we eat. Yeah we need a complaining cleanse.

See it’s because of our sin nature that it is human nature to complain. So you’ve got to train your entire being that when you want to complain you’ll say thank you instead. And as you are disciplined to turn your complaints into thanks - thanks will no longer be hard or complicated to do but it’ll eventually become a habit and pour out of you life a river. Everyday you wake up you ought to think of some ABC’s of gratitude and gratefulness. In fact, I think we can start right now.

Air that I breathe - thank you that it’s not contaminated with too much carbon dioxide that would cause me to die

Thank you for B the breath in my body and for a good level of oxygen so I can breathe on my own with any assistance - and if you need assistance to breath you ought to thank God for the assistance

C thank you that I’ve been clothed and in my right mind

D thank you that in-spite of my unhealthy diet you keep me from heart disease and high blood pressure just to name a couple

Thank you that E when my gas tank was on empty you provided money for me to fill it up

F thank you for the food that I got to eat. Some days it might not be anything more than some butter beans but I’ll think you for that

Thank you for being my G God that doesn’t change, never fails and always has my back

Thank you for my Honey H, and if you don’t have one thank him for the one he’ll send

“I” thank you that my small and large intestines are functioning correctly

J, that’s an easy one - thank you for Jesus - oooo I could stop right there

K thank you for being the king of my heart

L the lover of my soul

M my mind regulator

N thank you that you are all I need and more

O thank you for being the operator in the surgery room

P thank you that I don’t have to loose my mind in a pandemic because you are the prince of peace

Q thank you for being quintessential you are the perfect representation of all things Holy and Righteous

R thank you that you are rich in mercy

S thank you that you have saved me from sin

T thank you that even in trying tribulations I can be triumphant because you are triumphant.

U thank you for being ubiquitous that means you’re everywhere at the same time

V thank you Jesus that you are the Vine and we are the branches and that in you we can produce much fruit

W thank you oh God for warring on my behalf in so much that I don’t have to fight my battles all I have to do is stand still

X thank you for being xenodochial meaning you are friendly to strangers - I was a stranger to you and an ally of sin but while I was yet a sinner you died for me

And Z I thank you that because you are all that and some I can be zealous for you

In other words I’ve got so much to thank Him for - if I could get lost in thanksgiving complaints won’t even be able to find

And you’ve got to understand if you’d rather complain than give thanks - God says that’s okay. The rocks will become anthropomorphic and start crying out glory and honor. And the trees will be waving their branches too and fro. But the devil is a liar ain’t no rock gonna cry in my place.

Closing

Sometimes we look when we complain about things and we say I am not complaining about God but I’m complaining about the situation. But God is the force that allows everything to happen in our lives. So when we complain because our expectation did not match our reality we are inadvertently telling God - I don’t like what you did. You don’t know what You’re doing. But even when the Israelites were in exile God had a plan to deliver them - that’s why He said for I know the plans I have for you. And some of us start complaining and we forget God’s got a plan. So I turn my complaints into thanks because I exists to give Him praise and thanks. I’m done but I wonder if there is someone in here who would just lift your hands, tune everybody around you out and take 30 seconds to give God thanks from the fruit of your lips. Come on you ought to start practicing right now.