Northern Light

The Single Most Disobeyed Verse in the Bible

Recently I asked my Facebook friends of they could identify the single most dismissed, ignored, and disobeyed verse in the Bible. First out of the gate was, “Judge not.” Others offered “love one another,” or “love your neighbor as yourself.” One friend offered, “Pray without ceasing,” as the most ignored verse, which was a pretty good guess as well.

But, the verse I had in mind was none of those good guesses. Here is my response to the question, and my reasoning behind my choice, as it appears on my Facebook page:

“Your responses are intriguing, however, none of them is the one that I am identifying as single most ignored, dismissed, and disobeyed verse in the Bible.

“The single most ignored, dismissed, and disobeyed verse in the Bible is Philippians 2:14-15, “Do everything without grumbling or complaining, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world . . . .”

“Grumbling and complaining is always sourced in selfish discontent. It is never a solution to the problems that we encounter, but is an effort to gain allies that will justify personal inertia toward our self-imposed miseries. In other words, grumbling and complaining is really nothing more than an open invitation for the world to join your pity party. And God has something better for all of us. Himself, His own sovereign, victorious, glorious, in control self!

“Grumbling and complaining is faithless. It refuses to accept that there is no power greater, no will more pure, no purpose more active than God’s work in the world He created. Grumbling and complaining denies the good and grace of God in the world and is unbecoming for those who profess to have placed their entire trust in His perfections.

“And yet, just read down through your Facebook posts and what do you find? Christians making a hobby of grumbling and complaining. Such things ought not be, if, in fact, we are committed to living out in faithful obedience the revelation of the heart of God we have received: “Do everything without grumbling and complaining.”

“Just something to think about. Christian contentment with the person of Christ and the implications of His life and death and resurrection for our lives ought to characterize us more than “grumbling and complaining” does. Ask, “what is the real reason for my discontent?” and you will find it is that something has not gone the way you wanted and you think it should have. Grumbling and complaining is always about self. And Christians, we no longer live to and for ourselves. This is why the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul instructs us to live life without grumbling or complaining. Because we have an infinitely amazing Savior in whom our life in this world and our expectation of life in the next is perfectly hidden.”