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Philippians 2:14-16a  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

In Paul’s reference to a ‘warped and crooked generation’ he is quoting Deuteronomy 32:5 – “They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.” where Moses is calling on heaven and earth as his witness concerning the greatness of the LORD God: “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he”, and contrasting this with Israel’s collective ‘distorted’ representation of him to the surrounding nations.

How relevant this instruction is for us today, just as it was in Paul’s day, in Moses day, and in every every age in between!

The more our God-denying, self-serving generation pursues the agendas of ‘you-do-you’ individuals, without much sensitivity to the needs of others instead, the more our fallen nature leads us into ‘grumbling’ and ‘arguing’.  So with this ‘dark’ reality as background, it is a God-given opportunity to make an impact with the Gospel if we ‘shine among them like stars in the [night] sky’ by doing ‘everything without grumbling or arguing’.

This isn’t easy, but it is an important challenge for us if we are striving in every situation to demonstrate that we ‘hold firmly to the Word of Life’.  If we seek to be ‘salt’ and ‘light’ in all things, people notice the difference more than we realise, because of the stark contrast with the cultural ‘norm’.

“May the mind of Christ, my Saviour, live in me from day to day, by his love and power controlling all I do and say.  May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour, so that all may see I triumph only through his power.  May the peace of God, my Father, rule my life in everything, that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.  May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea; him exalting, self abasing, this is victory.  May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.  May his beauty rest upon me, as I seek the lost to win, and may they forget the channel, seeing only him”  (Katie B. Wilkinson).

– Bruce Christian