"Whine"

Whining is aligning,

With all we know is wrong,

Complaining is so draining,

Not where our souls belong.

The habit once you grab it,

Of giving thanks in all,

Brings enjoyment to deployment,

And helps us hear God’s call.

Raising up and praising up,

Is what the Good Lord wills,

Faith’s muscle as we tussle,

With this world’s trials and ills.

Thou shalt shine and shalt not whine,

‘Cause praising’s who we are,

Count the blessing, not the messing,

More powerful by far.

So wise on up and rise on up,

Don’t let things get you down,

God works for good, and said He would,

Our praise His kingship crowns.

“I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises…” (Psalm 34:1, NLT)

It is very difficult, maybe impossible, to praise the Lord while complaining and whining about all that is going wrong. Are things going wrong? Absolutely! But God’s word clearly calls us to rise above our circumstances in praise to the Lord. The psalmist said “my mouth will be continually filled with praise.” Paul wrote that it is God’s will for us to give thanks in every circumstance. This is only possible is we are intentionally turning our focus to the Lord and receiving His grace. A habit of praising rather than complaining is the one the Holy Spirit seeks to help us establish in our daily lives. Thou shalt shine, not whine!

Lord, teach us to live thankfully, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by J.L. Grief, jlgrief.com. Used by permission. Thanks, and God bless you.