My car has spent most of its summer in need of repairs. Serpentine belt squealing through the end of its life cycle? Check. Transmission thrown into fits and grinds? Sure. Air conditioning compressor seizing up and destroying the new serpentine belt? Yes, indeed. Each trip in this doomed vehicle feels like the spin of a roulette wheel in a casino owned by my mechanic.
The most interesting chapter in this saga was the bad radiator cap. When we noticed that the temperature rose steadily as we drove, we knew it needed more work. To save time, I tried to drive it for one last trip to the auto shop… big mistake. Yes, it would sputter along for a mile or two but the temp gauge never stopped rising. When I came to a slope (not even a hill) the gauge went bonkers.
I don’t know much about cars, but I know that smoke and steam are things best avoided. The local tow truck guys greet me by name at this point.
Why share all of this? A recent read in Philippians included this verse:
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 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.
Philippians 2:14-15, ESV
Grumbling and disputing are to good works what my bad radiator cap was to my drive across town.
A grumbler will start the work just fine but when things become tedious, he’ll make sure the whole room knows that’s he’s frustrated. Some things will be said under his breath and other things will be heard from the next room.
The disputer is no better. He sets out to prove just how wrong things are with this particular work. This is not the way he would have done it. These are not the tools he would have used. He looks around for an opponent and the souring mood of the group usually produces a sparring partner or two.
We can do good works with the wrong attitude and it can leave everyone wishing they had stayed at home. Instead of letting these deeds shine (Matthew 5:16), the grumbling and disputing dims the light down to a fading ember – barely distinguishable from the crooked generation around us.
In Philippi, two women were in disagreement. Paul mentions them by name in chapter four. He recalls that these women had labored by his side in the past, but some dispute had fractured their partnership. Paul asks the church to help them come back into agreement.
Good works done without the hindrances of bad attitudes yield beautiful results. Discord raises the temperature of the church’s engine, but harmony keeps things moving forward without worry. Peace among God’s workers is more than a nice goal – it is necessary for keeping the light shining.