Just six little words—that’s all.  They’re from the Bible, and they’re powerful. Here they are:

“Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Philippians 2:14).

Six ordinary words simple to understand, but, oh, so hard to put into action.  If you don’t think so, I challenge you to try to put them into practice just for today:

#1—Don’t complain about anything

#2—Don’t argue about anything

Can you finish breakfast without complaining or arguing?  For some of us, complaining starts much earlier in the day than that. Just hearing the alarm clock go off in the morning sparks an objection that we have to get up so early.

Now, personally, I wouldn’t mind the apostle Paul giving us this instruction if he just hadn’t included the word “everything.”  I really don’t complain or argue often.  But doing everything without protest or dispute is really hard.  I want to reserve the right to complain under certain conditions.

Just think, though, what could happen in our relationships if we took this verse seriously.  How peaceful our marriages and our families would be if we didn’t argue! And how about our churches?  Nearly every Sunday somebody complains about the music or the preaching or the way money is handled.

I have a suggestion.  Tonight, sit down with your family and show them this verse in the Bible.  See if you can get everyone to agree for one week to put it into action.  You may even want to make a rule that if any complain or argue, they have to put a small amount of money in a fund to buy ice cream for the family at the end of the week.  You may be surprised at the difference this will make in your family’s happiness.