FAITH CAPSULE: Acts of complain is a demonstration of disobedience.

Exodus 15:20-27, 16, 17:1-7

Have you been complaining more or complementing God for His mercy?
Acts of complain is a demonstration of disobedience. Complaining can be a quick turnaround from victory and deliverance to complaining and looking back. Regardless of how you are in the business of complaining instead of complementing God remember how He has been winning battles on your behalf. God has been merciful not because of our merit. God is merciful gracious to us.
God destroyed the Egyptians on behalf of the Israelites at the entrance of the Red Sea. Moses and the children of Israel declared a new song to praise God. The Israelites stated in their praise, “Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces.” (Exodus 15:6) Indeed the right hand of God is still as powerful as it was then. The right hand of God has not changed to lift His children. However, after crossing the Red Sea, the glorious hand of God that saw them through the Red Sea was more than enough not to encourage complaint. The Israelite had quick turnaround from victory and deliverance to complaining and looking back.
Have you been complaining more or complementing God for His mercy?
The Israelites did not wasted time complaining when they got to a place called Marah, “Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:23-24) If you can count your blessings, there should be no place for complaining at this point in your journey. Despite the complaint, God gave them water through Moses. After the Marah Episode was the drama of crying for what they have left behind in Egypt. There was no realization to them that getting to the Promised Land involves leaving behind the past in attempt to claim the Promised Land. The Israelites complained for meat and God showed up to meet their need for meat. God attending to them should have been enough not to generate any more complaints for lack in their journey. And yet again they complained for water. Exodus 17:3, “And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” Complaining was the confession of death when they died and none of them saw the Promised Land.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of thanking and not complain in all things.